CABINET OFFICE

Employed Staff

David Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff are employed within the Cabinet Office; and how many work within the Civil Contingencies Secretariat.

Douglas Alexander: On 22 October 2002 there were 2,400 staff employed in the Cabinet Office. 109 of these were working in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat. Of these, 60 were working in the Emergency Planning College at Easingwold, Yorkshire.

Executive Agencies

Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what reports his Department has published on executive agencies' and executive NDPB's performance against targets since the Executive Agencies 1999 Report and the Executive NDPBs 1999 Report.

Douglas Alexander: No such reports have been published. However, for individual agencies and executive NDPBs, the information is available in published annual reports and, in many cases, on websites.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Football

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many football games she has attended since 26 November 2001 in her official capacity; and where those games took place.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 24 October 2002
	I attended the Norwich City vs. Stockport County game at Carrow Road on 21 April 2002.

Golden Jubilee Medal

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will include the Prison Service as one of the organisations to receive the Golden Jubilee Medal from Her Majesty the Queen.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 28 October 2002
	The medal is being issued to the living holders of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, to serving members of the armed forces and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and to the '999' emergency services. The Prison Service is not an emergency service. Accordingly, it is not eligible to receive the medal. There are no plans to re-open the matter.

Job Location

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 19 September 2002, Official Report, column 124W, on job location, what the reasons were for the reduction in combined funding for the UK and England World Class Performance from 1999–2000 to 2000–01.

Richard Caborn: The data required are not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member with detailed information as soon as possible.

National Lottery

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of Lottery applications were successful in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since the Lottery's inception; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: This Department has never held comprehensive information on applications for Lottery grants by constituency, either in terms of the number of applications made or the amount of money requested.

Sport England

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she had with Sport England about North Taunton Sports Centre; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have had any discussions

Sport England

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 26 September 2002, Official Report, column 131W, on Sport England, if she will provide a breakdown of projections for Sport England's World Class funding programme for (a) performance, (b) potential, (c) start and (d) capital (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04, (iii) 2004–05 and (iv) 2005–06.

Richard Caborn: The projected funding for Sport England's Performance, Potential, Start and Capital programmes for the financial years 2002 through to 2006 is shown in the table.
	
		# million 
		
			  Performance Potential Start Capital 
		
		
			 2002–03 6 17 9 4 
			 2003–04 5 13 8 3 
			 2004–05 5 13 8 3 
			 2005–06 5 13 8 3

Sporting Facilities (London)

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sporting facilities in London; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: My Department has announced our intention to establish an England-wide database of sports facilities. Information on sports facilities in England is currently held by a variety of organisations, and a single database will enable more strategic Government investment in those areas and facilities which are most important. My Department is currently assessing the scope, content and cost of the proposed database and how the project will be taken forward.
	Local authorities are key providers of sport and recreation and play a central role in the delivery of sport for local communities. XNew Planning Guidance for Sport, Open Space and Recreation", issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, provides robust guidelines to help local authorities to plan positively for the provision and assessment of open spaces, sports and recreation facilities in their areas.

DEFENCE

Akrotiri SBA

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) representations were received and (b) environmental impact assessment was made concerning the decision to instal the antenna in the Akrotiri SBA, Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.[R]

Adam Ingram: Representations about the decision to install the antenna have been made by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, the Akrotiri Co-ordinating Committee, the Green Party of Cyprus, local authorities, non government organisations and major landowners within the proposed site and surrounding area.
	An environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the likely environment impact of the project was undertaken in 1997. The EIA was updated in 2001. The EIAs were reviewed by an independent, international panel of experts from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), who found that there were significant deficiencies in the original assessment, when judged against today's best practice standards. They recommended that, in the event that a decision was taken to proceed with the project, we should adopt a comprehensive strategy to ensure that adverse impacts are avoided or, where this is not possible, reduced to the absolute minimum. The panel's recommendations were accepted in full and are being implemented.

Akrotiri SBA

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what alternative locations were considered for the new antenna installed on Akrotiri SBA, Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.[R]

Adam Ingram: Consideration was given to locating the antenna elsewhere and a number of alternative sites were investigated. The alternative sites were judged unsuitable for technical reasons.

Akrotiri SBA

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made of the likely impact on wildlife including migratory birds, of the new antenna at Akrotiri SBA Cyprus.[R]

Adam Ingram: A team of experts under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence gathered data on wildlife as recommended by an independent, international panel of experts from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). This work was published in a Supplementary Environmental Work Report in June 2002. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House. Proposed mitigation measures have been implemented or are being progressed within a Ramsar Management Plan. Data collection is continuing.
	The environmental work on migratory birds has continued beyond the publication of the Supplementary Environmental Work Report. The Ministry of Defence is currently collecting additional data. Survey protocols have been agreed between the MOD, Republic of Cyprus, and the IEMA Panel for day and night time flight line surveys to record the passage of birds through the proposed Pluto site, bird collision monitoring of the existing antenna and monitoring of the migration behaviour of Demoiselle Cranes. MOD and ROC staff have jointly staffed the surveys.

Akrotiri SBA

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made of the possible impact on the health of the local Cypriot population of the new antenna installed at Akrotiri SBA, Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.[R]

Adam Ingram: The possible impact of the new antenna on the health of the local Cypriot population has been considered carefully. It has been assessed that levels of electromagnetic emissions from the new system will be no greater than those from the system it will replace and will be well within EU safety limits. Following tests carried out last summer by its own experts and by experts from France, the Ministry of Communications and Works of the Republic announced that exposure of the public to electromagnetic radiation from the existing antenna on the Salt Lake is at least seventy six times smaller than the limit recommended by the European Union and that the installation of the new antenna is not expected to result in a significant increase in the level of emissions in the area. This confirms the results of our own assessments.
	As a further measure of reassurance the two governments are carrying out a study into the health of the Akrotiri villagers. It is also our intention to set up permanent monitoring equipment in the village to confirm that emissions remain at the very low levels demonstrated in last summer's tests.

Akrotiri SBA

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation was held with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus over the decision to build the new antenna at Akrotiri SBA; and if he will make a statement.[R]

Adam Ingram: Extensive consultations have taken place between the Governments of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus about the decision to build a new antenna at Akrotiri.
	These consultations led to a joint statement in August 2001 by the two governments about the steps necessary to address concerns about the possible impact of the antenna on the health of the Akrotiri villagers and on the environment. The British Government has fulfilled the key undertakings set out in the joint statement.

Commissioned Officers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many commissioned officers are serving on (a) HMS Invincible and (b) HMS Illustrious; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: As at 25 October 2002, there were 40 commissioned officers serving on HMS Invincible and 11 on HMS Illustrious.

Commissioned Officers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) commissioned and (b) non commissioned officers are serving on ships in refit or not in service, broken down by ship; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Ships not in service are appropriately manned for their routine care and maintenance. Such tasks include essential daily safety check and preservation checks and low-level maintenance. In addition, during refit, these reduced crews support project managers working on board; to maintain equipment not contracted to be worked on during refit and to prepare ships for their return to fleet.
	The numbers of (a) commissioned and (b) non commissioned officers serving on ships in refit or not in service, broken down by ship as at 29 October are:
	
		
			 Ship Officers NCOs Ratings 
		
		
			 Albion(1) 26 74 201 
			 Alderney 5 6 26 
			 Archer 1 2 2 
			 Biter 1 2 2 
			 Blazer 1 2 2 
			 Bridport 3 5 23 
			 Campbeltown(2) 15 47 156 
			 Charger 1 2 2 
			 Dasher 1 2 2 
			 Enterprise 6 13 2 
			 Example 1 2 2 
			 Exploit 1 2 2 
			 Explorer 1 2 2 
			 Express 1 2 2 
			 Fearless(3) 6 22 79 
			 Glasgow(4) 22 56 163 
			 Gloucester 7 22 15 
			 Illustrious 11 53 125 
			 Invincible(5) 39 108 286 
			 Ixworth 0 2 4 
			 Middleton 8 8 28 
			 Monmouth(6) 11 35 56 
			 Montrose 11 22 6 
			 Nottingham(7) 9 38 86 
			 Puncher 1 2 2 
			 Pursuer 1 2 2 
			 Raider 1 2 2 
			 Smiter 1 2 2 
			 Talent(8) 7 41 29 
			 Trenchant(9) 10 50 50 
			 Tracker 1 2 2 
			 Vanguard 7 44 26 
		
	
	(1) Albion is building up crew members to support sea trials.
	(2) Completion is undergoing a docking period and retains a full crew.
	(3) Fearless. This figure will reduce to nil as at 31 October 2002.
	(4) Glasgow is undergoing a short period of maintenance and retains a full crew.
	(5) Invincible is building up her crew as she prepares to come out of refit.
	(6) Monmouth. To reduce to a total of 44 on 31 October 2002.
	(7) Nottingham. To reduce to 64 to support repair.
	(8) Talent crew reducing as she goes into refit.
	(9) Trenchant is building up crew as she prepares to come out of refit.

Commissioned Officers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-commissioned officers are serving on (a) HMS Invincible and (b) HMS Illustrious; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: As at 25 October 2002, there were 104 non-commissioned officers (Senior Rates) serving on HMS Invincible and 50 on HMS Illustrious.

Defence Fire Service

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members there are of the Defence Fire Service; and what equipment introduced in the last 10 years it has at its disposal.

Adam Ingram: The current personnel establishment figure for the Defence Fire Service (DFS) is 1,300 covering all ranks. Precise details of current day-to-day manning levels are not held centrally as personnel below the officer grades are locally recruited.
	The DFS, established at military airfields and bases where specific fire protection is required, is equipped with modern fire fighting apparatus and rescue vehicles, a significant proportion of which has been introduced within the last 10 years

Exercise Arrcade Fusion

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the forthcoming ARRC's exercise Arrcade Fusion in Germany.

Adam Ingram: HQ Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is holding its annual major Command Post Exercise, Arrcade Fusion, from 4 to 14 November 2002 at Javelin Barracks, Elmpt and Sennelager Training Centre. Personnel from 17 NATO Allies will take part. This is the first major exercise that HQ ARRC has conducted since it was endorsed by NATO's Military Committee as the first of the new NATO High Readiness Force (Land) Headquarters.

General Surgeons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many general surgeons are available to the (a) RAF, (b) Army and (c) Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: As at 1 October 2002, there were 11 General Surgeon consultants in the Royal Navy, nine General Surgeon consultants in the Army, and two General Surgeon consultants in the Royal Air Force.
	In addition, there were two Specialist Registrars within two years of qualifying as consultants in the Royal Navy and five Specialist Registrars within two years of qualifying as consultants in the Army. These personnel can be deployed, if necessary, as General Surgeons under supervision by a consultant.

Invalided Army Personnel

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army personnel have been invalided out of the Army when deployed in (a) Sierra Leone, (b) Saif Sareea, (c) Afghanistan, (d) Kosovo and (e) Macedonia as a direct result of their involvement in the deployments; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The number of regular Army personnel medically discharged due to disabilities sustained directly from having served in these theatres of operations, as at 28 October 2002, is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Theatre of operations Number discharged 
		
		
			 Sierra Leone 3 
			 Saif Sareea 0 
			 Afghanistan 0 
			 Kosovo 9 
			 Macedonia 0 
			 Total 12

L21 A1 Plastic Baton Round

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to respond to the recommendations of the Defence Scientific Advisory council on a review of the L21 A1 plastic baton round; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library.

Adam Ingram: The review of L21A1 baton round performance after one year in service was completed and provided to the Sub-committee (SC) of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC) as requested in June of this year.
	The SC, DSAC have considered the review and have issued a statement, which is reproduced below. I am also placing a copy of the statement in the Library ofthe House. It concludes that there is no reason to amend the previous SC, DSACstatement that was placed in the Library of the House by my right hon Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 2 April 2001.
	The SC, DSAC statement also notes that some attempts have been made to suggest that the committee consider the L21A1 to be more dangerous than the previous system. The statement refutes these suggestions and states clearly that it is the view of the SC, DSAC that the L21A1/L104 weapon system is safer than its predecessor.
	DEFENCE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COUNCIL
	Statement on the review by MOD of medical issues arising from use of the L21A1 Baton Round from June 2001–April 2002.
	1. The statement of the Sub-committee (SC) of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC) on the medical implications of the use of the new L21A1 Baton Round was placed in the Library of the House of Commons in April 2001. The statement compared the injury potential of the L21A1 system in public order role
	with that of the then current Baton Round, the L5A7.
	2. The SC, DSAC requested that one year after introduction of the L21A1, the MOD should review perceived or quantitative changes in the frequency and nature of serious injuries from the system. The review was due in June 2002 and the SC DSAC received the report from MOD by the specified date.
	3. The SC, DSAC considers that on the data available, there is no reason to amend the DSAC statement that provided the medical advice to Ministers. The SC, DSAC notes that from the available data there is no definitive or even indicative evidence that there is a higher frequency of thoracic impacts from the L21A1; thoracic impacts will occur occasionally in operational use.
	4. The SC, DSAC requests that the performance and medical consequences of use of the L21A1 remains under review and that a further review is conducted by 31 July 2003, to consider the period 1 June 2001 to 31 May 2003—the first two years of operational use of the L21A1.
	5. The SC, DSAC has noted some claims that its medical statement on the L21A1 has shown the projectile to be more dangerous. These claims appear to have arisen from taking elements of the statement out of context. It remains the view of SC, DSAC that the L21A1/L104 weapon system is a safer system than its predecessors, when operated in accordance with agreed guidelines.

Military Companies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 540W, on military companies, how many private military companies he estimates provide forces for combat; and how many United Kingdom nationals in total he estimates are so employed.

Adam Ingram: As I explained in my answer of 15 October to the hon Member, the FCO Green Paper entitled XPrivate Military Companies: Options for Regulation" published on 12 February 2002 highlighted the problem of defining a private military company. I noted that in practice, a wide spectrum of people and companies may be involved in the supply of military and security services. The Green Paper also notes that the distinction between combat and non-combat operations is not always clear. Companies may employ only a relatively small core of full-time staff and recruit personnel for individual contracts on a case-by-case basis. United Kingdom nationals could also potentially operate overseas on a freelance basis, but such activity is difficult to monitor. Given these difficulties, it is not possible to provide any meaningful estimates of the number of companies that provide forces for combat or how many United Kingdom nationals are so employed. The absence of any register of companies describing themselves as Private Military Companies further undermines any attempt to produce a meaningful estimate.

Military Medical Records

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action has been taken to ensure that vaccinations and preventive medicinal measures are properly reported on service personnel medical records; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: It is Ministry of Defence policy that all treatments and vaccinations given to personnel are to be recorded on their personal medical records. Any treatments or vaccinations administered to personnel whilst they are deployed are recorded on their operational medical record and the information transferred to their personal medical records on return. All three Services have routine administrative procedures in place to check that the medical records of both Regular and Reserve personnel are both up to date and accurate.

Military Medical Records

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether service personnel military medical records are available to their civilian doctor if requested; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Service medical records of ex-Service personnel are available to civilian doctors if the individual serviceman or woman consents to their release.

Military Medical Records

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what circumstances Service personnel military medical records are not made available to their civilian doctor when requested; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The military medical records of Ex-Service Personnel are not made available to the individual's civilian doctor unless the individual consents to their release.

NATO

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe will play in cases where an EU-led crisis operation does not use NATO assets.

Geoff Hoon: EU-led operations without recourse to NATO assets and capabilities, planning and command requirements would draw on existing national and multinational headquarters available to the EU. The Operation Headquarters would be based on an existing national headquarters, such as the permanent joint headquarters at Northwood, augmented by officers from participating nations. NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe will be kept informed of the general progress of the operation. He would also co-ordinate responses to EU requests to NATO for planning support. These arrangements are subject to finalising agreement on modalities for EU-NATO co-operation.

Operation Fresco

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military units have had post-operational leave cancelled or postponed in order to provide personnel for Operation Fresco.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2002, Official Report, column 439W, to the hon Member for Mid-Norfolk (Mr Simpson). Elements of the following five units have had post-operational leave postponed: 1 Royal Horse Artillery; the 1st Welsh Guards; 22 Engineer Regiment; 26 Engineer Regiment; and the Household Cavalry Regiment.

Operation Fresco

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made to maintain ships taken out of service to release personnel for Operation Fresco.

Adam Ingram: Maintenance packages are in place on all vessels involved in providing personnel for Operation Fresco. Fleet continues to closely monitor these ships and any additional measures necessary to limit degradation will be taken.

Operation Fresco

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy ships have been taken out of service in order to release personnel for Operation Fresco.

Adam Ingram: HMS Exeter, HMS Kent, HMS Lancaster, HMS Manchester, HMS Norfolk, HMS Newcastle and HMS Portland have had their operational programmes changed in support of Operation Fresco.

Royal Engineers

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make a decision on the PFI contract in respect of the Royal Engineers establishments at Chatham and Minley.

Adam Ingram: We currently anticipate that a decision on the selection of Preferred Bidder will be made in January 2003.

Ship Crews

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ships at sea on deployment have the full crew complement; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: In meeting demanding manpower targets, the Admiralty Board has agreed Strategic Manning Priorities. These are reviewed annually.
	Under current priorities only submarines are required to reach 100% manning whilst at sea on deployment. Currently, however, there are eight surface vessels and three submarines on deployment outside home waters that have full crew complements.

Ship Crews

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ships at sea on deployment have a crew complement of more than five per cent. less than the full crew complement; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are 37 surface ships and three submarines currently on deployment outside home waters. Of these vessels, 11 high readiness vessels have a full crew complement, 16 have a complement between 95–100% of their full complement, nine have a complement between 90–95% and two ships have a complement of under 90%. Of these latter two ships one has a total complement of eight and is one crew member short. The second ship, although on deployment doing valuable work, is at a lower state of readiness.

Suicide

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) soldiers, (b) sailors and (c) airmen have committed suicide in each year since 1972.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 October 2002
	Centrally held statistics on suicides using consistent definitions are only available from 1984 onwards.
	There have been 445 recorded suicides between 1 January 1984 and 31 December 2001 within Regular Armed Forces (including Gurkhas). There figures are based on coroners' (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) verdicts of suicide, and exclude self-inflicted deaths with open verdicts, accidental deaths or deaths due to misadventure. Figures from 1995 may change as there are a number of verdicts outstanding, and from 1999 changes to these figures may be significant. A breakdown by Service and by year is as follows: Number of reported suicides in the Armed Forces by Service over the period 1 January 1984—31 December 2001
	
		
			  Year of death  
			 Service 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Navy 2 3 7 3 6 4 8 6 6 1 6 1 5 3 0 4 4 
			 Army 15 14 16 11 23 22 20 22 19 18 19 16 17 15 9 9 9 
			 RAF 7 4 8 7 7 5 14 8 7 9 5 3 2 4 2 1 5 
			 Total 24 21 31 21 36 31 42 36 32 28 30 20 24 22 11 13 18

Timber

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action his Department is taking to ensure that the timber based board products and furniture is from legal and sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence's policy on timber procurement is laid down in JSP 418, the MOD Environmental Manual, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Paragraph 4023 of JSP 418 states that all timber and timber products should be procured from sustainable sources.
	The MOD has introduced a new condition of contract, which places an express contractual obligation on its suppliers to comply with the Government's policy on supply or consumption of timber and products containing wood, and, in addition, to supply data to verify that compliance.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Bushmeat

John Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assistance has been given to local authorities to educate residents of the dangers of illegally imported bushmeat.

Elliot Morley: I have been asked to reply.
	A campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers posed by illegal meat imports has been co-ordinated centrally by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. A variety of methods have been used in the campaign, including posters, leaflets, and radio fillers. Two Government information videos have just been produced. A leaflet on the importance of biosecurity has been issued to farmers. At the level of local authorities, in this financial year, Defra is funding jointly with the Food Standards Agency to provide additional training officers on import rules.

Concessionary Fares

Peter Pike: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what local authorities are introducing smart card technology to improve access to and availability of concessionary fare schemes; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department is currently reviewing local authorities' plans to implement smart card concessionary travel schemes and has produced an interim list of existing and planned travel schemes.
	Active schemes and schemes under implementation (England) 1 
	Caradon DC
	Carrick DC
	Centro (West Midlands PTE)—Coventry only
	Cornwall CC
	Greater Manchester PTE
	Hertfordshire CC
	Kerrier DC
	Transport for London
	North Cornwall DC
	Nottinghamshire CC
	Penwith DC
	Restormel BC
	1 Smart cards in use but not necessarily complete issue/acceptance
	Schemes in preparation and under consideration (England)
	Allerdale DC
	Barrow DC
	Blackburn with Darwen Council (Unitary)
	Blackpool Borough Council (Unitary)
	Burnley DC
	Carlisle City Council
	Chorley DC
	Copeland DC
	Cumbria CC
	Devon CC
	Eden DC
	Fylde DC
	Herefordshire CC
	Hyndburn
	Lancashire CC
	Lancaster DC
	Marseytravel
	Nexus (Tyne and Wear PTE)
	Pendle DC
	Preston DC
	Reading City Council
	Ribble Valley DC
	Rossendale DC
	Somerset CC
	South Lakes DC
	South Ribble DC
	South Yorkshire PTE
	West Lancashire DC
	West Yorkshire PTE
	Worcestershire CC
	Wyre DC
	Smart cards have great potential to help improve people's experience of public transport by facilitating through-ticketing and Xseamless" journeys. In some parts of the country projects are already well advanced. We are organising Xshowcase" demonstration examples to promote their wider take-up, to encourage scheme integration and help put the UK firmly in the lead in this area. My Department is working closely with the Integrated Transport Smart Card Organisation (ITSO) to create common specifications for ticketing systems to ensure smart cards introduced in one area are capable of working with ticket machines in other areas.

Local Authority Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment has been made of the impact of the implementation of the Private Securities Act 2001 on local authorities' ability to control the activities of private clamping and towing companies; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: I have been asked to reply.
	The Private Security Industry Act 2001 will introduce for the first time effective regulation of the activities of those who clamp vehicles on private land. The Act provides for the compulsory licensing of all individuals involved in such activities. Licensing will be undertaken by the Security Industry Authority, which will work closely with local authorities and the police in ensuring proper compliance with the licensing requirement.
	The provisions of the 2001 Act do not extend to the towing away of motor vehicles. We are, however, aware of the growing concern about towing activities and are currently consulting relevant bodies about the scale of the problem and what, if any, measures should be introduced to address it.

Private Security Industry Act

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what responsibilities under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 he plans to give local authorities; what funding will be given for these extra responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: I have been asked to reply.
	The Private Security Industry Act 2001 places responsibility for licensing individuals in the industry with the Security Industry Authority (SIA). Section 13 of the Act allows the Secretary of State to devolve to local authorities some or all of the SIA's licensing functions in respect of door supervisors. After careful consideration of the issues, including the cost implications and practicality of any such devolution, the Government have decided that all aspects of the licensing of door supervisors should be undertaken centrally by the SIA. I advised the Local Government Association of this decision on 31 August. The SIA will be discussing with local authorities how best to monitor, at local level, compliance with the licensing regime.

Private Security Industry Act

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the ability of local authorities to regulate the activities of private clamping and towing companies; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities do not have any statutory powers to regulate operators who clamp and remove vehicles from private land, including car parks where the public has access. However, under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, the Security Industry Authority has been given powers to regulate all persons in England and Wales who immobilise vehicles in such places, in part because of concerns about the unscrupulous behaviour of some clamping companies. The authority is expected to begin licensing clamping operators with effect from late 2003.
	The provisions of the 2001 Act are limited to the immobilisation of a vehicle by the attachment of an immobilising device, and do not extend to the towing away of motor vehicles. We are, however, aware of the growing concern about towing activities and, in view of this, we are currently consulting relevant bodies (such as the police and the British Parking Association) about the scale of the problem and what, if any, measures should be introduced to address it.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Bachelor of Education Courses

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will introduce a system of bursaries for four-year bachelor of education degrees equivalent to those available for students on post-graduate certificates of education.

David Miliband: My right hon. Friend has no present plans to alter the support arrangements for students on Bachelor of Education courses, which remain the same as those which apply to other undergraduate students.

Education (Immigrant Children)

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on educating children of immigrants separately for the first months after arrival in order to have their needs assessed.

Stephen Twigg: All children, including those from migrant families, are given the same opportunities as other children to access education. The Department has no plans to provide separate education for the vast majority of children of immigrants.
	However, a minority of children whose families seek asylum and are destitute may be educated in accommodation centres which will provide a complete package of support for the family. This education will be of the same breadth and quality as that delivered in schools and will be specifically tailored to meet their particular needs, including providing intensive support to help them learn English.
	On arrival in the centre, children will receive an initial assessment which will cover such areas as previous educational experience and attainment, knowledge of English and any Special Educational Needs requirements. Teachers will monitor progress during the length of their stay and, on leaving the centre, will undertake a final assessment with information being recorded which will be available to their receiving school.

School Exclusions

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were excluded from (a) primary schools, (b) city technology colleges, (c) other secondary schools and (d) special schools in each year since 1988; how many of these exclusions were taken to appeal; and how many of these exclusions were successfully overturned by an appeals panel.

David Miliband: The available information is shown in the table. Data on permanent exclusions have only been recorded reliably for the academic year 1995–96 onward.
	
		Number of permanent exclusions by type of school(England
		
			  Maintained  
			 Year(10) Primary(11) Secondary(11) Special(12) Total 
		
		
			 1995–96 1,608 10,344 524 12,476 
			 1996–97 1,573 10,463 632 12,668 
			 1997–98 1,539 10,187 572 12,298 
			 1998–99 1,366 8,636 436 10,438 
			 1999–2000 1,226 6,713 384 8,323 
			 2000–01(13) 1,436 7,305 394 9,135 
		
	
	(10) Year in which the permanent exclusion fell after appeal procedures had been concluded.
	(11) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(12) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	(13) Estimates have been made for 2000–01 because the data are known to be incomplete.Source:Annual Schools Census
	
		School exclusion and reinstatement appeals—Maintained Primary, Secondary and Special schools
		
			  Appeals by parents Appeals by governors  
			  Number Number  
			 Year(14) Lodged Heard Successful Lodged Heard Successful 
		
		
			 1995–96 1,339 1,091 185 141 126 79 
			 1996–97 1,455 1,128 225 87 81 39 
			 1997–98 1,287 1,011 204 122 118 50 
			 1998–99 1,216 964 220 97 93 48 
			 1999–2000 948 863 317 8 6 4 
			 2000–01 1,095 983 314 —(15) —(15) —(15) 
		
	
	(14) Year in which the appeal was determined.
	(15) Not applicable (from 1 September 1999 the right of the LEA to overrule to governor's decision to uphold a permanent exclusion was abolished).
	Source:
	School Exclusion Appeals Survey

Standards Fund

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list for each initiative funded through the Standards Fund the (a) budget for 2001–02, (b) outturn for 2001–02 and (c) budget for 2002–03.

David Miliband: The tables show the grant allocated for each initiative funded through the Standards Fund, and the amounts finally accepted by local education authorities, for 2001–02 and 2002–203. Expenditure figures are not available for 2001–02.
	
		Standards Fund Grants 2001–02
		
			 Initiative Original Grant Allocation  # Final Grant Allocation  # 
		
		
			 Truancy buster awards 406,000 406,000 
			 School improvement 116,519,051 116,481,951 
			 Social inclusion: pupil support 86,311,859 85,803,112 
			 Social educational needs 38,703,686 38,682,375 
			 Children in public care 3,710,003 3,710,003 
			 Sick children 2,000,000 2,000,000 
			 Teenage pregnancies 5,001,700 5,001,700 
			 Drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention 9,677,087 9,662,712 
			 Youth service 1,059,105 1,053,805 
			 Study support 41,458,609 41,046,276 
			 Adult ethnic minority achievement 753,825 742,107 
			 Child protection co-ordinators 990,000 990,000 
			 National literacy and numeracy strategies 112,763,910 112,761,235 
			 Key Stage 3 strategy 38,336,093 38,212,677 
			 Literacy and numeracy scummer schools 12,078,700 11,499,940 
			 Year 9 booster classes 13,320,000 13,320,000 
			 Ethnic minority achievement 81, 603,966 81,603,966 
			 Traveller children achievement 8,291,488 8,291,488 
			 Family literacy and numeracy 3,677,511 3,640,689 
			 Booster classes 46,000,100 46,000,100 
			 National curriculum: implementation 1,624,495 1,618,508 
			 National curriculum: personal social and health education/citizenship 7,829,484 7,829,484 
			 Education health partnerships 5,700,000 5,700,000 
			 Qualifications 1,545,158 1,545,158 
			 LEA music services 50,060,500 50,060,500 
			 Playing for success 2,152,883 2,152,883 
			 Early years training and development 7,154,995 7,154,995 
			 Early excellence centres 9,245,175 9,245,175 
			 Adult: pupil ratios in reception classes 14,853,526 14,421,322 
			 School achievement awards 63,893,453 63,893,453 
			 Maintained nursery school service 8,975,004 8,975,004 
			 Children of asylum seekers 2,377,000 2,377,000 
			 Excellence in cities 149,752,000 149,752,000 
			 Excellence challenges 9,185,600 9,185,000 
			 City learning centres 80,651,002 80,651,002 
			 Small education zones 20,987,342 20,987,342 
			 Gifted and talented children 3,825,000 3,825,000 
			 Specialist schools 86,526,340 86,526,340 
			 Beacon schools 30,685,830 30,685,830 
			 Pupil support allowance 11,671,845 11,671,845 
			 Pupil learning credits 14,499,999 14,499,999 
			 Grammer/non-selective school partnerships 505,616 505,616 
			 Diversity pathfinders 323,500 323,500 
			 Induction of newly qualified teachers 34,223,840 34,223,840 
			 Teacher recruitment measures (golden hellos) 2,565,954 2,565,954 
			 Training schools 4,355,000 4,355,000 
			 Advanced skills teachers 18,487,787 16,510,981 
			 National professional qualification for headship 16,381,368 16,381,368 
			 Leadership programme for serving heads 5,227,653 5,180,402 
			 Performance management 28,000,002 28,000,002 
			 Teaching assistants 104,652,809 104,345,784  
			 Small schools fund 42,332,042 41,487,354 
			 Supported early retirement scheme for heads 5,178,100 4,801,800 
			 Recruitment and retention fund 33,000,000 33,000,000 
			 Teachers sabbaticals 4,884,000 4,884,000 
			 Early professional development 4,651,150 4,651,150 
			 Welcome back bonus 454,033 454,033  
			 National grid for learning 132,265,063 132,121,881 
			 Key Stage 1 class size 177,455,982 177,455,982 
			 Key Stage 2 class size recurrent funding 17,461,558 17,461,558 
			 Devolved formula capital 409,009,065 409,009,065 
			 Seed capital challenge 34,999,998 34,999,998 
			 School laboratories 43,494,238 43,494,238 
			 Learning support units 25,232,370 25,232,370 
			 School security 11,650,857 11,416,297 
			 Fresh start 25,519,748 25,519,748 
			 New models for LEA services 1,266,757 1,266,757 
			 NDS condition funding 239,788,348 239,788,348 
			 Information management strategy 29,999,998 29,999,998 
			 NDS capital projects 39,824,146 39,824,146 
			 Classrooms of the future 5,425,000 5,425,000 
			  
			 Total: 2,704,475,306 2,698,354,746 
		
	
	
		Standards Fund Grants 2002–03
		
			 Initiative Original Grant Allocation  # Final Grant Allocation  # 
		
		
			 School improvement 131,562,975 131,562,975 
			 Social inclusion: pupil support 84,683,332 84,549,663 
			 Special educational needs 42,152,297 42,119,994 
			 Sick children and children in public care 5,200,001 5,193,316 
			 Teenage pregnancy 4,999,999 4,999,999 
			 Drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention 9,600,003 9,583,860 
			 Study support 48,119,999 47,637,893 
			 Child protection co-ordinators 1,378,000 1,325,000 
			 Behaviour and improvement programme 50,003,000 50,003,000 
			 National literacy and numeracy strategies 77,744,611 77,744,611 
			 Key Stage 3 strategy 97,126,316 96,464,450 
			 Ethnic minority achievement 81,064,263 81,057,034 
			 Traveller children achievement 8,155,841 8,135,041 
			 Year 6 booster classes 42,000,000 42,000,000 
			 Educational health partnerships 9,819,993 9,819,993 
			 Qualifications 1,540,756 1,521,724 
			 LEA music services 59,633,546 59,633,546 
			 Playing for success 1,813,365 1,813,365 
			 Early years training and development 7,020,009 7,020,009 
			 Early excellence centres: recurrent 9,047,080 0,040,080 
			 Adult: pupil ratios in reception classes 11,375,139 10,985,930 
			 School achievement awards 58,885,040 58,885,040 
			 Nursery school project 4,906,484 4,906,484 
			 Training for educational visits co-ordinators 2,355,600 3,355,600 
			 Excellence in cities 173,556,890 173,556,890 
			 Gifted and talented summer schools 3,816,000 3,816,000 
			 Specialist schools 108,978,953 108,978,953 
			 Specialist schools (capital) 20,550,000 20,550,000 
			 Beacon schools 40,168,850 40,168,850 
			 Pupil support allowances 8,988,000 8,988,000 
			 Pupil learning credits 19,623,621 19,623,621 
			 Partnerships between grammar and non-selective schools 308,477 308,477 
			 Excellence challenge 17,259,656 17,259,656 
			 Small education action zones 26,768,968 26,768,968 
			 Diversity pathfinders 920,150 920,150 
			 Induction of newly qualified teachers 34,835,998 34,831,177 
			 Teacher recruitment incentives 24,779,496 24,779,496 
			 Training schools 4,203,000 4,203,000 
			 Advanced skills teachers 20,058,558 18,926,163 
			 Performance management and threshold assessment 14,560,001 14,474,890 
			 Teaching assistants 103,098,945 102,757,478 
			 Small schools fund 41,600,000 41,082,080 
			 Teacher recruitment and retention fund 44,001,000 44,001,000 
			 Teacher sabbaticals 9,752,000 9,762,000 
			 Early professional development pilot programme 6,056,182 6,056,182 
			 Welcome back bonuses 205,131 205,131 
			 Transforming school workforce pathfinders 3,370,775 3,370,775 
			 Fast track payments 318,000 318,000 
			 National grid for learning 182,000,006 181,524,946 
			 Key Stage 1 class size 144,834,655 144,834,655 
			 Key Stage 2 class size 25,451,573 25,451,573 
			 NDS devolved formula capital 360,254,267 360,254,267 
			 Seed challenge capital 60,000,000 60,000,000 
			 Staff workspaces 11,999,998 11,999,998 
			 Learning support units 9,987,269 9,987,269 
			 New school security projects 9,999,996 9,999,996 
			 Fresh start and new partnerships 17,451,058 17,451,058 
			 NDS condition funding 346,500,441 346,500,441 
			 Information management strategy 7,039,908 7,039,908 
			 Capital funding for nursery education in disadvantaged areas 20,077,716 20,077,716 
			 Capital projects 39,216,362 39,216,362 
			 Laptops for teachers 59,846,307 59,846,307 
			 Electronic registration systems in secondary schools 9,656,820 9,656,820 
			 Electronic registration systems in secondary schools 9,656,820 9,656,820 
			 e-Learning credits 29,929,186 29,929,186 
			  
			 Total: 2,912,221,862 2,907,843,046

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

UN Convention on Rights of the Child

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many meetings officials have attended to discuss progress towards meeting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (a) with organisations and Government departments within the UK and (b) with organisations in other countries.

John Denham: The Children and Young People's Unit has lead responsibility for monitoring the UK's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since March 2001, when the Unit took over responsibility from the Department of Health, officials have held the following formal meetings which include discussion of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:
	(a) Within the UK
	Quarterly meetings with the devolved administrations
	Bimonthly meetings of the Children and Young People's Interdepartmental Group
	(b) In other countries
	Twice yearly meetings of the EU Permanent Intergovernmental Group Xl'Europe
	de l'Enfance"
	In addition, the Unit holds ad hoc bilateral meetings both at home and abroad with lead policy makers on Convention issues. For example, there was regular contact across Whitehall in the preparation for the UK's second report to the UN Committee. Information about the precise number of such meetings can only be gathered at disproportionate cost.

UN Convention on Rights of the Child

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the UK's contribution towards achieving the goals of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; and what representations she has received about the UK contribution.

John Denham: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) does not require signatories to work towards achieving certain objectives or 'goals', nor does it give enforceable rights to individual children. Rather, it imposes obligations on the State to "respect and ensure the rights set forth in the Convention to each child within their jurisdiction". Each signatory, therefore, is responsible for implementing the UNCRC in their own country.
	The UK signed the Convention on 19 April 1990 and ratified it on 16 December 1991. It came into force in the UK on 15 January 1992. To allow monitoring of implementation, the CRC requires State Parties to report to the UN on their progress against the Convention 2 years after ratification, and every 5 years subsequently.
	The UK's Second Report under the CRC was submitted by the Department of Health in 1999 and, due to backlogs at the UN, was only considered by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in June this year. A UK delegation comprising senior officials from across Government attended an oral examination in Geneva on 19 September. UK NGOs also submitted a report, and gave oral evidence. The Committee published its concluding observations on 4th October and this document, as well as copies of the UK's Second Report and a summary of the UK NGO reports have been placed in both Libraries.
	The Government is under no formal obligation from the UN to respond to the report, but lead Departments across Whitehall, together with the Devolved Administrations, are considering how to take the Committee's comments into account. Although there are areas where we expect to take a different view from the Committee over our obligations under the Convention, we will consider its recommendations in developing our overarching strategy for children and young people, a development which the UN Committee welcomed. We will continue to involve the voluntary sector in this work.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Illegal Meat Imports

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance has been given to local authorities to educate residents on the dangers to livestock from illegally imported meat.

Elliot Morley: A campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers posed by illegal meat imports has been co-ordinated centrally by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. A variety of methods have been used in the campaign, including posters, leaflets, and radio fillers. Two Government information videos have just been produced. A leaflet on the importance of biosecurity has been issued to farmers. At the level of local authorities, in this financial year, Defra is funding jointly with the Food Standards Agency to provide additional training for enforcement officers on import rules.

Illegal Meat Imports

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what she is doing to encourage trading standards officers to prosecute those who trade in illegally imported bushmeat.

Elliot Morley: My officials have discussed with local authority officers on a number of occasions the circumstances in which prosecutions are brought against those importing meat illegally. We have made clear that prosecutions are an important aspect of deterrence which we would like to see used where there is clear evidence of a serious breach of the rules. We are willing to work with local authorities to produce further guidance if this would be helpful. In addition the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is matching funding with the Food Standards Agency to provide additional training for officers from local authorities, including trading standards officers, on import requirements. One of the key aims of the training will be to raise awareness of the illegal meat trade and give officers advice on which cases should be prosecuted.

Illegal Meat Imports

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many penalties have been imposed on illegal meat importers since May.

Elliot Morley: According to data held on the Illegal Imports Animal Products Seizures (ILAPS) database, there have been 984 seizures of illegally imported meat from 1 May to 30 September 2002 inclusive. The penalty in 983 of these cases was destruction of the produce, and in the other the produce was re-exported. In addition, one successful prosecution was brought by Crawley Borough Council in July 2002 and six cautions were issued by the London Port Health Authority in October 2002.

Animal Welfare

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement about the animal welfare standards in (a) pig and (b) poultry farms.

Elliot Morley: There is comprehensive legislation in place to protect the welfare of all farmed animals. In particular, the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000, as amended, include detailed requirements for pigs and laying hens. There are also species-specific welfare codes. Arrangements are in place to implement new EU directives on pig welfare and to update the existing welfare code. New codes for laying hens and meat and breeding chickens were introduced in July.

Animal Welfare

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on banning the use of animals in circuses; and whether she will include a ban on animals in circuses in the new Animal Welfare Bill.

Elliot Morley: The proposed new Animal Welfare Bill will be an enabling measure under which the Secretary of State would be able to bring forward detailed proposals to regulate or prohibit certain practices in order to promote the welfare of the animals concerned. It is through this mechanism that any move to restrict or prohibit the use of animals in circuses would be made. This particular issue is complex, with strongly held opinions on all sides. Any decision on the future of animals performing in circuses would only be taken after the most thorough consultation.

Biosecurity

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hours have been spent by DEFRA staff at UK air and seaports assessing biosecurity since the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 October 2002
	Staff from the State Veterinary Service, and Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate carry out a wide range of duties at ports and airports. Information on the hours spent assessing biosecurity is not available. Since 2001, SVS staff have increased their surveillance work at ports and airports.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) minimum, (b) average and (c) maximum time taken to remove TB reactor cattle from farms in the last 12 months was.

Elliot Morley: For the 12 month period 16 October 2001 to 15 October 2002 the data requested are as follows:
	
		TB reactor removal times for Great Britain and England
		
			 Area (a) Minimum (b) Average (c) Maximum 
		
		
			 Great Britain 0(16) 23.9 385(17)  
			 England only 0(16) 24.7 385(17)  
		
	
	(16) Animal removed and slaughtered on day of TB skin test reading.
	(17) Removal affected by FMD movement restrictions
	Note:
	The data in the table relate to samples from TB reactor cattle which were subject to bacteriological examination. Data for other animals slaughtered for the purposes of TB control are not available.
	Further analysis of the data available has shown that 75 per cent. of cases were removed and slaughtered within 36 days of the skin test reading in Great Britain and in England; 90 per cent. within 45 days in Great Britain (47 in England); 95 per cent. in 56 days in Great Britain (57 in England) and 99 per cent. within 78 days (79 in England).

CAP

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the European Commission's proposals in the Common Agricultural Policy's mid-term review to cap subsidies for individual farms.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 October 2002
	The Government's policy on the commission's proposal to cap subsidies for individual farms is that it goes against the grain of proposals that are intended to encourage increased efficiency. It would discourage rationalisation and modernisation and discriminate against efficient large-scale producers.

CAP

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on decoupling of subsidies from production as part of the mid-term review of the common agricultural policy; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: We are in favour of decoupling in principle. It helps to reconnect farmers to markets, removes perverse incentives to environmental damage through overproduction and should contribute to a successful conclusion of the WTO development round and discharging our obligation to the poorest countries. However, there are a lot of issues to resolve before we can introduce a workable system.

CAP

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government aims to achieve real budgetary savings in the CAP as part of the mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 October 2002
	The Government's view is that the Commission proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy do not go far enough. We believe that agricultural expenditure should be reduced over time and that the mid-term review should provide for real budgetary savings.

CAP

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's position on the place of modulation in the European Commission's proposals for the mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 October 2002
	The Government supports a shift from production linked support to agri-environment and rural development measures. However, we do not believe that the Commission's proposals for achieving this through modulation go far or fast enough. In particular, the proposals would not deliver real budgetary savings which are necessary to put the CAP budget on a more sustainable footing. In addition, the Commission's proposal includes a franchise excluding very small farms and ceiling on payments to the largest farms which would be unnecessarily complex to administer, and could introduce distortions in farm
	structures.

CAP

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's policy is on subsidised agricultural exports from the European Union with regard to mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 23 October 2002
	The UK supports the commitment made by World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, including the EU, to "substantial improvements in market access (import tariff reduction); reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support" as part of the current round of WTO negotiations (the Doha Development Agenda).

CAP

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the yearly costs of the Common Agricultural Policy to the EU budget over the next four years if there (a) is and (b) is not decoupling of subsidies from production in the Common Agricultural Policy.

Elliot Morley: The European Commission have forecasted the annual cost of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to the EU budget until 2006, as set out in the table. These estimates assume the continuation of current policy and exclude expenditure on rural development. Without knowing how a decoupled payment system would work in detail any assessment of its impact of the EU budget would be purely speculative.
	
		EU budget expenditure on CAP
		
			  Euro million(18)  
		
		
			 2003 40,420 
			 2004 41,452 
			 2005 41,265 
			 2006 41,770 
		
	
	(18) Forecast
	Source: European Commission

CAP

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the Common Agricultural Policy with regard to the mid-term review.

Elliot Morley: We want to see a radical reform of the CAP, to secure:
	(i) a shift in support from production-linked subsidies to environmental and rural development measures;
	(ii) a significant increase in the UK's share of pillar 2 funding;
	(iii) degressivity of direct payments, on an equitable basis;
	(iv) support price cuts, especially for dairy and cereals and the relaxation of associated production controls;
	(v) decoupling of direct livestock payments from production.

Correspondence

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton concerning Mrs. G. Gilbert, reference 163248.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 16 July 2002
	I regret that the Department has not been able to trace the hon. Member's correspondence.

Correspondence

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to answer the letter of 5 August from Mr Malcolm Bull of Kingston Bungalows, Ringwood.

Elliot Morley: A response was sent on 24 October.

Correspondence

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Leominster, of 9 August, concerning R E Williams and Sons.

Elliot Morley: I regret that the Department has no record of receiving this correspondence.

Departmental Initiatives

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the schemes and initiatives sponsored by her Department and its agencies which are not the subject of national roll out, showing (a) the authorities or areas covered by the scheme and (b) the budget of the scheme in the last year for which information is available.

Alun Michael: Given the range of responsibilities covered by Defra, such information is not easy to provide in the form requested. The information is being
	gathered and collated and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as this work has been completed.

Departmental Land (Throckmorton)

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had and what expressions of interest she has received from parties relating to the purchase of land owned by her Department at Throckmorton; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: No discussions have taken place between potential purchasers and Ministers or DEFRA officials about the sale of land owned by the Department at Throckmorton and no formal offers to purchase all or part of the land have been received. However, agents acting for DEFRA have been approached by one party interested in acquiring a piece of the land. That party was advised that DEFRA is not able to consider disposals at this time but if and when the land was declared surplus to Government requirements, it would be sold for the best price achievable. Home Office officials have also indicated that there are matters they may wish to discuss with DEFRA officials.

EC Water Framework Directive

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what she is doing to ensure that river basin management plans under the EC Water Framework Directive will help to deliver the Government's commitments to sites of special scientific interest.
	(2)  what assessment she has made of whether sites of special scientific interests are covered by the provisions of the Water Framework Directive established for protected areas.

Elliot Morley: Sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) are covered by the provisions of the Water Framework Directive to the extent that they are also "protected areas" which have been designated as requiring special protection under specific Community legislation for the conservation of habitats and species directlydepending on water. These areas will include relevant Natura 2000 sites designated under the Birds and Habitats Directives. In addition, the improved management of the water environment to be delivered through the Water Framework Directive is expected to contribute to the water quality needs of SSSIs not designated under specific Community legislation. (76384)
	River basin management plans will include maps which identify protected areas. Consideration is being given to include on such maps for information purposes all SSSI's, including SSSIs not designated under Community legislation. These maps would then provide a comprehensive summary of water quality related conservation objectives set at both Community and national level.
	The deadline for meeting the water quality objectives established by the Water Framework Directive is December 2015 at the latest. Since the Government has a target to bring 95 per cent. of SSSIs into favourable condition by 2010, implementation of the Directive will not have a direct bearing on elivering the Government's commitment on SSSIs by 2010. However, in the long term, through its emphasis on a holistic, river basin based approach to water management, using water quality criteria based on ecological parameters, implementation of the Directive will benefit SSSIs

Egg Packers

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representation she has received from egg packers and their trading associations regarding the impact the absence of contracts between egg packers and supermarkets is having on the security of the egg industry for themselves and the producers.

Elliot Morley: No representation has been received directly from egg packers or their trading associations. However, letters have been received from the British Egg Industry Council and the British Free Range Egg Producers Association which raise this issue. These have been forwarded to the Office of Fair Trading, which has responsibility for the administration of competition law.

Flood and Coastal Defence

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what rules govern flood defence committees in the UK.

Elliot Morley: Under section 105 of the Water Resources Act 1991 the Environment Agency has a general supervisory duty over all flood defence matters. Section 106 of that Act requires the Agency to carry out all of its flood defence functions (except certain financial functions) through Regional Flood Defence Committees.
	The current provisions relating to flood defence committees are contained in
	sections 14[en rule]19 of, and Schedules 4 and 5 to, the Environment Act 1995. These
	provisions include the composition of committees, the creation of local flood
	defence committees, boundary matters and proceedings and membership of
	committees.

Flood and Coastal Defence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list areas periodically affected by flooding which are not covered by current flood relief schemes or by schemes scheduled for completion by 2006.

Elliot Morley: At present, there is no list detailing areas not protected by flood relief schemes. Indicative flood plain maps published by the Environment Agency show areas of known risk, including those where the risk is reduced by defences. However the Environment Agency with Defra support are working on a Flood and Coastal Defence Database for England and Wales and a risk assessment that is developing zoned maps of these floodplain areas that will show the residual levels of risk with the current flood defences. These maps should be available to the public next year. Defra and the agency are also discussing with the Association of British Insurers the provision of such information for planned defences.

Flood and Coastal Defence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many houses have been affected by flooding in England and Wales in the past five years.

Elliot Morley: Approximately 15,500 properties are thought to have been affected by flooding from watercourses and the sea in the last five years. This figure will include properties that have been affected on more than one occasion.

Flood and Coastal Defence

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many houses the Environment Agency assesses are at risk of periodic flooding.

Elliot Morley: There are approximately 1.8 million domestic properties in the indicative flood plain and which must therefore be considered at risk from periodic flooding from watercourses and the sea. However the vast majority of these properties are protected by flood defences.
	Figures on internal sewage flooding from Ofwat suggest that 4,076 properties have a 1 in 5 risk and 10,856 properties have a 1 in 10 risk of being flooded by sewage. There are currently no figures available for external sewage flooding which affects gardens, highways or public open spaces, or from other sources such as highway drains and groundwater etc.

Fluoride

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has for the introduction of compulsory labelling of (a) food and (b) other products containing fluoride;
	(2)  for what reason labelling of products containing fluoride is not compulsory in the UK.

Elliot Morley: None. This is not a matter for this Department.

Foot and Mouth

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list instances where inoculation was authorised during the foot and mouth outbreak in lieu of culling.

Elliot Morley: There were no instances during the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001 where vaccination was authorised, although practical arrangements were made to implement a vaccination programme.

Hares

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the appropriate enforcing authority for the Hares Preservation Act 1892 is.

Elliot Morley: Under the Hares Preservation Act 1892 it is a summary offence to sell a hare or leveret between the months of March to July inclusive. The prohibition does not extend to foreign imported hares. The Act does not specify an enforcement authority. The usual procedure would be for an Information to be laid before Magistrates following which a summons would be served on the alleged offender. The police would normally lay an Information, following which the Crown Prosecution Service would take over the conduct of the prosecution from the police. Alternatively a case could be conducted by any other prosecutor such as, for instance, a local authority trading standards officer, or a private individual.

Hire Bulls

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hire bulls are licensed in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; and how many hire bulls are in areas that are TB tested every (i) six months, (ii) 12 months, (ii) two years, (iv) three years and (v) four years.

Elliot Morley: There is no requirement for hire bulls to be licensed in Great Britain and no central records detailing their geographical distribution. Therefore the detailed data required to answer the question is not available.

Horticulture Research International

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the future of Horticulture Research International.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 29 October 2002
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by me on 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 584W.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her policy towards integrated EU coastal zone management, with particular reference to Treaty base; what measures are planned under this heading; and what checks for subsidiarity have been undertaken.

Elliot Morley: On 30 May 2002, the European Union adopted a Recommendation concerning the implementation of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) in Europe under Article 175(1) of the Treaty. The Government are committed to implementing this non-binding instrument which asks member states to develop national strategies for delivering ICZM through coordinated action at local and regional levels. There is no suggestion of a legally-binding European framework for ICZM.

Live Animal Exports

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimates she has made of the number of live animals exported from the UK for slaughter which are then returned to the UK for sale.

Elliot Morley: Statistics on exports of live animals for slaughter are available as are those on imports of various kinds of meat and meat products. Statistics linking imports of meat and meat products to animals which had been exported are not
	available. We are not aware of any animals exported from the UK for slaughter which have been returned to the UK for sale.

CITES

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with other governments which are party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to ensure that the proposal to list mahogany on Appendix II of CITES received the two-thirds majority required for the listing.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 October 2002
	Officials from British Embassies and High Commissions have discussed the mahogany listing proposal with the relevant authorities in a total of 96 countries, including those in Central and South America. In addition, officials from my Department have discussed the proposal with officials of the United States of America and Brazilian governments to try to persuade them of the merits of an Appendix II listing. We shall continue lobbying in support of this proposal at the CITES Conference in Santiago next month.

Odour Nuisance

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to give powers to local authorities to deal with odour nuisance from sewers and sewage treatment works.

Alun Michael: I shall shortly issue a consultation document setting out the available options by which we can achieve practical ways to deal with the problems of odour nuisance from public sewers and sewage treatment works. The possibility of giving appropriate powers to local authorities will be considered as part of the consultation

Pigswill

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures are in place to monitor imported pigmeat products to ensure (a) that they have not been fed on pigswill, and (b) in cases where they have, that swill is prepared up to acceptable standards of safety and hygiene.

Elliot Morley: Imports into the United Kingdom of pig meat and other products are governed by European Community rules. These do not include procedures to determine whether pigmeat products have been fed on swill.
	As regards pigmeat and pigmeat products imported from other EU member states, most EU countries have already introduced domestic bans on the feeding of swill. With effect from 1 November 2002 new EU rules on animal by-products will impose an EU-wide ban on the feeding of swill. These provisions are designed to prevent the spread of disease in live animals.
	Pigmeat and pigmeat products imported from third countries must come from approved establishments in approved countries and must be accompanied by agreed veterinary certification. The veterinary certification confirms that public and animal health requirements for import have been complied with and ensures that imported meat is derived from animals free from disease, whether or not they have been fed on swill. It must also confirm that the meat is derived from animals which have been subjected to a veterinary inspection during the 24 hours prior to slaughter and showed no signs of disease. The meat is also subjected to post mortem veterinary inspection. Community regulations require that meat and meat products imported from third countries must be produced to standards at least equivalent to those applied to Community production.

Pigswill

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she has to compensate pig farmers who have invested in pigswill processing plant, buildings and equipment.

Elliot Morley: The Government does not intend to compensate pig farmers for changes to the feed material available for their livestock following the introduction of the ban on swill feeding. However the Government is providing free business advice to those affected by the ban.

Pigswill

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the cost to pig farmers of the ban on pigswill.

Elliot Morley: A copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment which accompanied the Animal By Products (Amendment) Order 2002 (S.I. 2001 No. 1704) is available in the library of the House.

Poland

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the transitional time to be granted to Poland following the country's forthcoming accession to the European Union in order to be integrated fully into the (a) Common Fisheries Policy and (b) Common Agricultural Policy; and the (i) fisheries and (ii) agricultural subject areas covered by that transitional period.

Elliot Morley: Negotiation of the Fisheries Chapter was provisionally closed with Poland in June 2002. A request from Poland to include sprat of the Baltic region in Annex IV of Regulation (EC) 140/2000 was agreed. Agreement on access to resources and catch quotas for all candidates is scheduled to take place shortly. Discussions on agriculture are still under way with all the acceding states, including Poland. No transitional arrangements have therefore been granted as yet. However, the offer agreed by the European Council at its meeting in Brussels on 24 and 25 October includes certain transitional measures comprising an enhanced rural development programme, and a gradual phase-in of direct payments. This offer is expressly stated to be without prejudice to future decisions on CAP reform.

Recycling Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities she has contacted regarding underperformance on recycling targets, and indicate how these local authorities were identified.

Michael Meacher: We set targets in a way which meant all authorities would have to improve their performance over their rate in 1998[en rule]99, no matter what their starting point. For that reason, when tracking local authorities' recycling performance, we consider how much the recycling rate has increased, rather than looking simply at the rate.
	I have written to the leaders of the local authorities listed about recycling. In these authorities, preliminary (unaudited) performance data for 2001–02, taken from 2002–03 Best Value Performance Plans, shows that the authority's recycling performance has decreased, stayed the same or only increased by 1 per cent. between 1998–99 and 2001–02. I have invited the relevant leaders to identify work that is already in hand to meet their 2003–04 Statutory Performance Standard for recycling and composting of household waste and to consider the need for further action where this is relevant.
	Adur district council
	Arun district council
	Aylesbury Vale district council
	Barrow-in-Furness borough council
	Bassetlaw district council
	Berwick-upon-Tweed borough council
	Bolton metropolitan borough council
	Bournemouth borough council
	Bradford city council
	Breckland district council
	Brentwood borough council
	Brighton and Hove council
	Broadland district council
	Broxtowe borough council
	Cambridge city council
	Cannock Chase district council
	Carlisle city council
	Charnwood borough council
	Christchurch borough council
	Copeland borough council
	Corby borough council
	Cotswold district council
	Craven district council
	Cumbria county council
	Dartford borough council
	Derby city council
	Doncaster metropolitan borough council
	Dorset county council
	Dover district council
	Easington district council
	East Dorset district council
	East Northamptonshire district council
	East Staffordshire borough council
	Eastbourne borough council
	Ellesmere Port and Neston borough council
	Elmbridge borough council
	Exeter city council
	Fareham borough council
	Forest of Dean district council
	Fylde borough council
	Gateshead metropolitan borough council
	Gloucester city council
	Gosport borough council
	Gravesham borough council
	Hampshire county council
	Harrogate borough council
	Hertsmere borough council
	Horsham district council
	Hyndburn borough council
	Kettering borough council
	Kingston-upon-Hull city council
	Lancaster city council
	Lincoln city council
	Liverpool city council
	London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
	London borough of Barnet
	London borough of Bexley
	London borough of Croydon
	London borough of Ealing
	London borough of Enfield
	London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
	London borough of Haringey
	London borough of Newham
	London borough of Redbridge
	London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
	London borough of Southwark
	London borough of Tower Hamlets
	Macclesfield borough council
	Manchester city council
	Mansfield district council
	Medway council
	Mendip district council
	Mid Suffolk district council
	Mid Sussex district council
	Milton Keynes council
	Newark and Sherwood district council
	Newcastle-upon-Tyne city council
	Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council
	North Cornwall district council
	North Dorset district council
	North Kesteven district council
	North Norfolk district council
	North Shropshire district council
	North Tyneside council
	North Warwickshire borough council
	North West Leicestershire district council
	Northampton borough council
	Northumberland county council
	Nottingham city council
	Nuneaton and Bedworth borough council
	Oadby and Wigston borough council
	Oswestry borough council
	Poole borough council
	Purbeck district council
	Reigate and Banstead borough council
	Rochdale metropolitan borough council
	Rossendale borough council
	Rotherham metropolitan borough council
	Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea
	Runnymede borough council
	Rushmoor borough council
	Rydale district council
	Sedgemoor district council
	Sefton metropolitan borough council
	Sheffield city council
	Shepway district council
	Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council
	Shropshire county council
	Solihull metropolitan borough council
	South Bedfordshire district council
	South Kesteven district council
	South Lakeland district council
	South Oxfordshire district council
	South Somerset district council
	South Staffordshire council
	St Albans City and district council
	Stevenage borough council
	Stockport metropolitan borough council
	Stockton-on-Tees council
	Stoke-on-Trent city council
	Sunderland city council
	Swindon borough council
	Tandridge district council
	Taunton Deane borough council
	Teesdale district council
	Thanet district council
	Three Rivers district council
	Twekesbury borough council
	Tynedale district council
	Warwick district council
	Warwickshire county council
	Watford council
	Waveney district council
	Waverley borough council
	West Berkshire council
	West Devon borough council
	West Lancashire district council
	Western Riverside waste authority
	Wirral metropolitan borough council
	Worcester city council
	Worthing borough council

Sheep Quota Purchase Scheme

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) number of applications made, (b) the amount spent per application and (c) the number of animals removed through the English Sheep Quota Scheme in 2002.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 24 October 2002
	The Sheep Quota Purchase Scheme (SQPS) opened on the 23 August and the tender does not close until 31 October, therefore the information requested is not yet available. To date 62 applications have been received, offering a total of 12,593 quota units.

Sustainability Summit

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Rob Marris) of 17 October 2002, Official Report, columns 898–900W, if she will list the stakeholders whom she met to discuss follow-up action to the Sustainability Summit in Johannesburg; and if she will place in the Library the papers produced for the meeting.

Michael Meacher: The Secretary of State and I met the following stakeholders, along with representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for International Development, HM Treasury, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Cabinet Office, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales:
	
		
			 Stakeholder  
		
		
			 Jonathon Porritt Chairman, Sustainable Development Commission 
			 Maria Adebowale Director, Capacity. SDC member, and member of UK WSSD delegation  
			 Anna Bradley National Consumer Council 
			 Chris Fay Chair, Advisory Committee on Business and Environment 
			 Simon Mills Corporation of London, Finance Initiative 
			 lan Russell Chief Executive, Scottish Power 
			 Neil Kinghan Local Government Association 
			 Sir Michael Lickiss Chair, South West Development Agency 
			 Neil Cleeveley Trade Union SD Advisory Committee 
			 Robert Napier Chief Executive, WWF 
			 Charles Secrett Director, Friends of the Earth. SDC member 
			 Derek Osborn Chair, UNED UK. SDC Member 
			 Andy Atkins Tearfund. Co-chair, Development and Environment Group, British Overseas NGOs for Development 
		
	
	The purpose of the meeting was to hear the views of leading individuals on future priorities and actions at UK level, in the light of the conclusions of the summit. The meeting focused on three issues that emerged clearly from the summit as priorities for action at national level in the developed world: the role of business in delivering sustainable development; energy and, in particular, renewable energy; and sustainable production and consumption. No paper was produced for this meeting.

TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what targets her Department has set for the time it should take to remove from farms, cattle that react positively to the TB skin test.

Elliot Morley: There is a target of 10 working days for the removal of TB reactor cattle from farms.

TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of farmers suffering TB outbreaks in their herds have adequate isolation facilities in which to house infected cattle; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Information on stock isolation facilities is not routinely gathered by Defra. When TB reactors or animals that react inconclusively to the TB test are disclosed, farmers receive verbal guidance on isolating those animals from the rest of the herd while awaiting slaughter or re-test. In addition, Defra has provided farmers with free guidance on reducing the risk of TB in their herds either by means of cattle to cattle spread, or from a wildlife reservoir.

TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to provide financial assistance to farmers who need to improve biosecurity through new isolation facilities to cope with possible outbreaks of (a) TB and (b) other infectious animal diseases.

Elliot Morley: There are no plans to provide financial assistance to farmers to help them to establish new isolation facilities, either in respect of (a) TB or (b) other infectious animal diseases.

TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to include TB test dates on cattle passports.

Elliot Morley: As a biosecurity measure Defra has advised farmers purchasing cattle to ascertain when the animals being bought in were last tested for TB. There are no plans to include TB test dates on cattle passports.

Twenty-day Rule

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of failure to obey the 20 day rule there have been, resulting in (a) fines and (b) warnings.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 October 2002
	Between 11 February 2002 and 23 October 2002 the Animal Movement Licensing System identified 7,616 apparent infringements of the 20 day standstill, which were subject to investigation by the appropriate local authority. This compares with approximately 650,000 recorded movements over that period. Most of the apparent infringements are likely to have been minor, such as an incorrect address entered into the movement report. Where however, an apparent infringement is found to be a breach of the movement legislation in force, this is dealt with, in most cases, by means short of prosecution. This can include verbal or written warnings or requiring a farmer to obtain an Individual Movement Licence before moving livestock.
	The information sought is not available in the form requested. In 2001 44 prosecutions were brought for offences under the Foot and Mouth Disease Order 1983 as amended. Provisional figures for the current year to end September indicate that 23 prosecutions have been taken.

Water Industry

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the estimated output is of the smallest non-domestic water supply source which would produce a financially viable return;
	(2)  what assessment has been carried out of the smallest non-domestic water supply source which might produce a financially viable return from customers.

Elliot Morley: The Government published a consultation paper, on July 31; "Extending Opportunities for Competition in the Water Industry in England and Wales". This proposed competition only in the non-household sector, with an eligibility threshold of a minimum of 50 Megalitres (Ml) a year. The consultation period closed on 1 October and we are now considering responses.
	In preparing the proposals, assessment was made of the broad cost breakdown between the main elements of the supply chain, the likely scope for making savings on these, and the ranges of charges paid by users. Experience shows that the market will determine financial viability in a competitive environment.
	These issues will be taken into consideration as we balance the need to create opportunities for competition whilst continuing to secure the Government's wider objectives for the water industry, which include protecting public health, the environment, social and economic goals, and safeguarding services for household customers.

Wood for Good Campaign

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the objectives are of the Forestry Commission's support of the Wood for Good campaign.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 28 October 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 July 2002, Official Report, column 953W.

HEALTH

Agency Nurses (Worcestershire)

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in 2002–03 to date of agency nurses; and what the cost was in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02.

David Lammy: Actual costs to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust of using agency nurses are in the table.
	
		
			  # million 
		
		
			 2000–01 3.3 
			 2001–02 4.3 
			 2002–03 (to September 2002 4.3 
		
	
	Source: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being undertaken relating to the physical causes and treatment of CFS/myalgic encephalomyelitis; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department has two research projects in progress on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). One is XChronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME: Systematic Review", at the University of York, which started on 5 January 2000 and is on-going. Information from this has informed the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) task force on CFS/ME on evidence-based guidance.
	The other is XCognitive Behavioural Therapy in Chronic Fatigue", at North Bristol NHS Trust, which began in August 2000 and is due to end in late 2004.
	The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. Following the publication of the CMO's working group report on CFS/ME, the MRC was asked to develop a broad strategy for advancing biomedical and health services research on CFS/ME. The MRC has appointed an independent scientific advisory group which includes scientists with expertise in such areas as epidemiology, physiology, immunology, infections, clinical trials, paediatric neurology and psychological medicine. The advisory group will draw on the working party report and recent expert views of the field. It will also take into account the concerns of patients and carers and the interests of consumers generally. Details of the advisory group and a note of the first meeting are now available on the MRC website, at www.mrc.ac.uk.

Association of Community Health Councils

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to announce his funding plans for the ACHCEW for the remainder of its term.

David Lammy: The date of abolition for the Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales (ACHCEW) is yet to be determined. Officials will be discussing with ACHCEW the best way of funding the remainder of its term once that decision has been made.

Association of Community Health Councils

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on the ability of (a) community health councils and (b) the ACHCEW to retain staff of (i) the absence of a date for abolition, (ii) the decision not to allow community health council staff to transfer to the successor bodies and (iii) the absence of committed funding for the remainder of their term of employment.

David Lammy: The Department is aware of the concerns of Community Health Councils (CHCs) following the announcement that they are to be abolished. There will be no automatic transfers into the new Commission either for CHC or Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales (ACHCEW) staff. The Commission is independent and fundamentally different from CHCs. As such it must be free to make its own decisions on staffing. Officials are working with trade unions to agree a human resources framework to support CHC staff in seeking suitable alternative employment. Progress is being reported through newsletters to CHC staff. CHCs will be abolished once the new system is functioning. The date of abolition for CHCs and ACHCEW has yet to be decided but we will make an announcement as soon as a date has been set. In the meantime the 184 CHCs continue to function and will be funded until their abolition.

Association of Community Health Councils

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable has been set for the winding up of (a) community health councils and (b) the ACHCEW.

David Lammy: Community health councils (CHCs) will be abolished once the new arrangements for patient and public involvement are functioning. There is no abolition date for CHCs or the Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales as yet, but we will make an announcement as soon as a date is set.

Association of Community Health Councils

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Community Health Councils will be abolished; and what support is being given to staff of CHCs in the transition to new arrangements.

David Lammy: Community Health Councils (CHCs) will be abolished once the new arrangements for patient and public involvement are functioning. There is no abolition date for CHCs or Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales as yet, but we will make an announcement as soon as a date is set. Officials are working with trade unions to agree a human resources framework to support CHC staff in seeking suitable alternative employment.

Dental Care

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reduce the complexity of the forms issued by the Health Benefits Division to be completed by students when reclaiming the cost of dental care; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The HC1 claim form has been carefully designed to collect all the information necessary from all groups, including students, to carry out a calculation of their entitlement to help with health costs, based on income support arrangements. People only need to complete the sections of the form which apply to them.

Dental Treatment

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) the average cost of dental treatment by an NHS dentist and (b) the average cost of treatment at the new NHS drop-in centres being developed.

David Lammy: The average gross cost for a course of dental treatment including patient charges in the general dental service (GDS) in England was #36.33 for adults in 2001–02. The average cost for a course of treatment for charge exempt adult patients was #53.61.
	Comparable information for dental access centres (DACs) is not available and the pattern of treatment provided in DACs is not directly comparable to the GDS. Total revenue available for DACs in 2002–03 is #35 million. It is anticipated that around 300,000 patients will be treated in these centres during the course of this financial year. Final allocations will be adjusted to take account of the overall performance of each centre.

Dental Treatment

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to raise the retirement age for general dental surgery principals; and what his policy is on retention of seniority payments for such principals.

David Lammy: At present general dental services (GDS) principals are removed from dental lists on 1 April following their 65th birthday, but can continue to work as assistants, or privately. We plan to amend the GDS regulations to increase this age limit to 70 years at the next available opportunity, which is likely to be in the spring of 2003. Principals who continue to work beyond the age of 65 will retain entitlement to claim seniority payments in accordance with the conditions set out in Determination III of the Statement of Dental Remuneration.

Donor Cards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people he estimates hold donor cards; and what measures have been taken since 1997 to raise awareness and encourage people to get donor cards.

David Lammy: holding answer 29 October 2002
	The latest Gallup Survey commissioned by the National Kidney Patients Association in 2000 indicates that 28 per cent. of the population carry a donor card. This equates to about 16.5 million people in the United Kingdom.
	Since 1997 we have launched a number of publicity campaigns and initiatives encouraging people to join the national health service organ donation register (ODR), to carry a donor card, and to discuss their wishes with their relatives. Advertising on television, radio and press at time of launch was supported by public information leaflets which contain donor cards and forms to join the ODR.
	The organ donation literature line, 0845 60 60 400, and the campaign website (www.nhs.uk/organdonor) complements and supports this activity as do very successful partnerships with the voluntary sector, the general practitioner surgery network, Boots, Goldfish and other banks, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, the Passport Agency and GlaxoSmithKline.
	In addition, United Kingdom Transplant's 2002 initiative with local authorities, encouraged people to join the ODR when they enrol on the electoral register.
	The Department also runs two separate campaigns specifically targeting Asians and African Caribbeans as people from these communities are more likely to suffer from conditions that lead to kidney failure, resulting in a need for a transplant.

Duhenne Muscular Dystrophy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement by the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy) of 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 61WH, on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, how the #2 million on research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2001–02 has been spent; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: holding answer 28 October 2002
	There are five research projects into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its grant in aid from the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	Four are led by Professor T. Partridge at the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre's Muscle Cell Biology Group. These are:
	XStudy of factors influencing repair and regeneration of skeletal muscle", which is investigating ways of enhancing the mechanisms that promote the normal regeneration of muscle and of counteracting the factors that inhibit the process in genetic disorders such as DMD;
	XInvestigation of fibrogenic mechanisms in dystrophic muscle", which is investigating fibrosis, a feature of chronic muscle trauma, which is implicated in the clinical decline of DMD;
	XIdentification of muscle specific promoter/enhancer regions of collagen 1 gene", which is looking for genes encoding collagen 1, because the accumulation of excess collagenous connective tissue is thought to play a part in the pathogenesis of DMD, and once the gene has been found, it is hoped that production can be reduced; and
	XInvestigation of the mechanisms that generate revertant muscle fibres", which aims to discover why people with DMD have an unusual production of dystrophin despite the presence of mutations that ought to prevent its production.
	One is led by Professor K. Davies at the MRC functional genetics unit. This is XMolecular analysis of neuromuscular and neurological disease", which involves the molecular analysis of DMD.

Elective Surgery Abroad

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 813W, on elective surgery abroad, if he will define reasonable access in paragraph three of his answer.

John Hutton: XReasonable access" means that the national health service should require through contracts an overseas provider to facilitate visits by recognised NHS bodies such as Commission for Health Improvement, whenever requested to do so.

Foundation Trusts

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of his departmental officials are involved in work on foundation status for NHS trusts.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 October
	Departmental officials currently working on policy development for National Health Service foundation trusts are required to co-ordinate and produce detailed proposals for a new form of NHS organisation in order to meet Government objectives to devolve operational control of the most successful NHS trusts whilst enhancing accountability to local stakeholders. At this stage their usual work primarily includes researching and drafting papers for Ministers on specific policy issues; preparing for the necessary legislation; consulting with key stakeholders; and, handling parliamentary business and ministerial correspondence.

Foundation Trusts

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 17 October 2002, Official Report, column 922W, what the usual work is of each of the nine staff of his Department working full-time on foundation trusts.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 October 2002
	Departmental officials currently working on policy development for national health service foundation trusts are required to co-ordinate and produce detailed proposals for a new form of NHS organisation in order to meet Government objectives to devolve operational control of the most successful NHS trusts while enhancing accountability to local stakeholders. At this stage their usual work primarily includes researching and drafting papers for Ministers on specific policy issues; preparing for the necessary legislation; consulting with key stakeholders; and, handling parliamentary business and ministerial correspondence.

GP Walk-in Centres

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of GP walk in centres.

John Hutton: holding answer 21 October 2002
	National health service walk-in centres are a programme to pilot delivery of a new type of accessible and nurse led primary care service.
	There are now 42 such centres and the independent national evaluation concluded that they were making a valuable contribution to improving primary care access. Walk-in centres and services therefore have an important and continuing role in securing local delivery of NHS Plan targets for access and emergency care. We are currently considering how best to ensure that primary care trust exploits this potential.

Mid-Essex Hospital Trust

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for in-patient treatment in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust on 31 March 1997; and how many months between 31 March 1997 and the latest available date the number has been below that level.

David Lammy: The information requested is shown in the table. The in-patient waiting list for the trust was 8,391 at the end of March 1997 and has not been below that level since then.
	
		Patients waiting for elective admission, Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, June 1995 to August 2002, ordinary and day case admissions combined, all specialities
		
			 Quarter/month Total waiting 
		
		
			 June 1995 6,568 
			 September 1995 6,440 
			 December 1995 6,350 
			 March 1996 5,835 
			 June 1996 6,463 
			 September 1996 5,909 
			 December 1996 7,258 
			 March 1997 8,391 
			 June 1997 8,690 
			 September 1997 8,967 
			 December 1997 10,542 
			 March 1998 11,360 
			 April 1998 11,422 
			 May 1998 11,517 
			 June 1998 11,834 
			 July 1998 11,804 
			 August 1998 11,791 
			 September 1998 11,615 
			 October 1998 11,382 
			 November 1998 11,347 
			 December 1998 11,359 
			 January 1999 11,172 
			 February 1999 10,475 
			 March 1999 9,967 
			 April 1999 9,961 
			 May 1999 9,980 
			 June 1999 9,824 
			 July 1999 9,488 
			 August 1999 9,465 
			 September 1999 9,395 
			 October 1999 9,372 
			 November 1999 9,483 
			 December 1999 9,851 
			 January 2000 10,233 
			 February 2000 10,416 
			 March 2000 9,865 
			 April 2000 9,953 
			 May 2000 9,823 
			 June 2000 10,154 
			 July 2000 9,703 
			 August 2000 9,405 
			 September 2000 9,486 
			 October 2000 9,375 
			 November 2000 9,050 
			 December 2000 9,466 
			 January 2001 9,282 
			 February 2001 9,288 
			 March 2001 8,894 
			 April 2001 8,853 
			 May 2001 8,868 
			 June 2001 8,850 
			 July 2001 8,898 
			 August 2001 8,917 
			 September 2001 8,968 
			 October 2001 8,657 
			 November 2001 8,787 
			 December 2001 9,228 
			 January 2002 9,198 
			 February 2002 9,646 
			 March 2002 9,732 
			 April 2002 9,874 
			 May 2002 9,986 
			 June 2002 9,838 
			 July 2002 9,928 
			 August 2002 9,804 
		
	
	Source: Department of Health form KHO7 and Monthly Monitoring

National Health Care (Essex)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the National Health Service Trusts management structures and patient organisations in Essex with specific reference to (a) mental health, (b) dental care, (c) hospital trusts, (d) chiropody, (e) ambulance services, and (f) strategic management; how many (i) managers and (ii) administrative staff are in each category; and if he will make a statement on the reporting structure for national health care in Essex.

David Lammy: The information requested has been placed in the Library. It is not possible to separately identify those medical and dental staff who are managers. Essex Strategic Health Authority is the headquarters for national health service services in the Essex area. The health authority is accountable to the Department and is responsible for supporting local NHS organisations in delivering the NHS Plan, building capacity and supporting performance improvement across all local health agencies.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what procedures are in place to monitor the number of patients and the related cost associated with NICE approved treatments that enable comparisons with the pre-approval phase of the treatment and ensure that NICE guidance is being acted on;
	(2)  what procedures are in place to monitor uptake of treatment following its approval by NICE.

David Lammy: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has commissioned a research project through the national health service research and development methodology programme to evaluate the impact of its guidance on clinical and managerial practice. Preliminary results are expected in December 2002.
	The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection will be the principal external inspector of the implementation of NICE guidance, and details of this inspection are currently being agreed between the Commission and the Department.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all patients have access to testing to ascertain whether they would benefit from a NICE-approved treatment.

David Lammy: None. The responsibility for arranging tests and deciding what treatment is best for the patient rests with the clinicians concerned. This is done in consultation with the patient, fully taking into account National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance and informed by the patient's clinical history.

NHS Treatment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of people who die prematurely in the UK each year (a) while waiting for NHS treatment and (b) as a consequence of negligent treatment within the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department does not collect statistics on the number of people who have died while on the waiting list for treatment. Data are collected on how many patients are removed from the waiting list without being treated but these are not broken down into specific categories.
	Data on the number of patients who die prematurely as a result of negligent treatment in the National Health Service are not collected.

Non-specialist Surgeons and Physicians

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received concerning (a) the harmful effect on patients of being treated by surgeons and physicians who are not specialists in their field and (b) the chances of such patients making a full recovery;
	(2)  what representations his Department has received concerning the number of patients undergoing treatment by surgeons and physicians who are not specialist in their field.

John Hutton: None. All doctors must work within the limits of their professional competence, as required by General Medical Council (GMC) guidance, Good Medical Practice. Doctors should not, therefore, be given or take on responsibility for patients if they are not competent to do so. This is to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care and have the best chances of making a full recovery.
	Nevertheless all National Health Service patients in hospital are likely to have some contact with a doctor who is not a fully trained specialist. The NHS in England employs about 31,700 doctors, not yet qualified to work independently, in training grades and about 11,800 staff grade doctors, some of whom are trained specialists. 24,400 NHS consultants supervise the work of all of these doctors and are responsible for the care patients receive. Consultants are all trained specialists included on the specialist register held by the GMC.

Ophthalmology Surgery (Worcestershire)

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the saving would be to the county health services in Worcestershire of moving elective ophthalmological day care surgery to the Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at Kidderminster from (a) Worcestershire Royal Infirmary and (b) Alexandra hospital, Redditch.

David Lammy: The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust is currently carrying out a countywide review of ophthalmology services. No decisions have been made on changes to ophthalmology services in Worcestershire, and no detailed cost analysis has been undertaken on the relocation of ophthalmology services to Kidderminster from other acute hospitals. All factors, including any financial implications, will be evaluated fully in determining the nature of future developments.

Organ Donors

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on donor shortage; and what he proposes to do to increase the number of donors available.

David Lammy: holding answer 29 October 2002
	There is a world-wide shortage of organs for transplantation. There are a number of reasons for this not least that there is a welcome reduction in the numbers of people dying in circumstances in which organ donation would have been possible, for example, the decreasing number of fatal road accidents and improvements in neurological surgery.
	We are taking specific action to increase the number of donors available by investing in initiatives to raise public awareness and the benefits of organ transplantation, particularly in the ethnic minority populations where there may be a greater need for transplantation, implementing measures to help ensure that potential donors are identified and that we increase the use of both living and non-heartbeating donation. Nearly #4 million is being invested in the national health service through United Kingdom transplant to boost the number of life-saving organ transplants. This is funding 35 donor liaison schemes to improve procedures for identifying possible organ donors and the steps to take so that relatives are approached and given the opportunity to decide about donation. It is also supporting 25 living donation programmes, 10 additional transplant co-ordinators and six non-heartbeating donor programmes.

Organ Donors

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organ transplants have been made in each year since 1997; how many people have died waiting for organ transplants in that time; and for what organs they were waiting.

David Lammy: holding answer 29 October 2002
	The number of organ transplants in each year since 1997, the number of people dying waiting for a transplant and the organ they were waiting for is shown in the table.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Dying on waiting list  
			 Kidney 284 304 290 286 249 
			 Cardiothoracic organ 175 161 163 122 100 
			 Liver 73 86 75 66 65 
			  
			 Total dying on waiting list 532 551 528 474 414 
			   
			 Transplants  
			 All organs 2,779 2,674 2,695 2,709 2,717

PALS Services

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have so far established PALS services; what estimate he has made of the extent to which PALS services are functioning; and which trusts do not yet have a PALS service:

David Lammy: This information is not collected centrally. It is the responsibility of strategic health authorities to monitor Patient Action and Liaison Services (PALS) development. #10 million was made available to health authorities for PALS in 2002–03 and this will be recurring in the primary care trust baselines.

Pharmacy Dispensing Contracts

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pharmacy dispensing contracts were issued in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: Information on the number of decisions on applications, or of decisions on applications on appeal, relating to the provision of National Health Service pharmaceutical services for the years 1996–97 to 2000–01 is contained in tables 10 and 11 respectively of the Department's statistical bulletin XGeneral Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales 1991–92 to 2000- 01". Information on the number of community pharmacies providing NHS dispensing services which opened in the same period is available in table 4 of the same bulletin. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Prescription Charges

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 798W, on prescription charges, if he will list the average prescription charge per prescription item dispensed for each year listed; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The charge per prescription item was set out in the table included with my answer of 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 798W.

Private Treatment

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private patients received treatment in (a) England and (b) each NHS region in each of the last six years as (i) in-patients and (ii) day cases, in NHS pay beds.

John Hutton: The table gives information on private patients admitted to national health service hospitals in England in each of the last six years for which information is available. A breakdown by NHS region will be placed in the Library.
	
		Finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for private patients treated in NHS hospitals in England
		
			 Year Ordinary admissions Day case 
		
		
			 1995–96 66,928 40,254 
			 1996–97 63,308 41,063 
			 1997–98 70,503 49,458 
			 1998–99 77,937 64,568 
			 1999–2000 80,815 63,809 
			 2000–01 72,708 53,516 
		
	
	Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health

Public Service Agreements

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what baseline his Department will use to demonstrate that organisations have secured a 1 per cent. increase in cost efficiency and 1 per cent. increase in quality equivalent of its budget, as set out in paragraph 8.4 of XImprovement, Expansion and Reform: The Next Three Years".

David Lammy: holding answer 22 October 2002
	This requirement relates to the value for money public service agreement (PSA) target:
	Value for money in the NHS and personal social services will improve by at least 2 per cent., per annum, with annual improvements of 1 per cent., in both cost efficiency and service effectiveness.
	The PSA covers the three years from 2003–04, so the baseline for the target is the cost and quality of services in 2002–03.

Radiographers

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many radiographers are employed by each NHS health authority; and what the comparative figures were for each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many radiographers were employed within the NHS for each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many radiographers have left the service of the NHS for each year since 1997, broken down by each NHS health authority.

John Hutton: Information about the number of radiographers working in the national health service since 1997 by health authority area has been placed in the Library.
	Information about the number of radiographers leaving the NHS each year is not collected centrally. The non medical work force census records the number of staff working in the NHS each year as at 30 September. It shows the net change in the last year taking account of leavers, retirements, returners and new staff joining the work force.
	The number of radiographers employed in the NHS has increased by 940 between September 1997 and September 2001.

Radiotherapy Waiting Times

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received concerning the introduction of a national standard method for calculating radiotherapy waiting times to enable waiting times to be directly compared between radiotherapy centres; and what plans he has to introduce such a national standard.

John Hutton: The Department has received informal representations from the Royal College of Radiologists and others about the introduction of radiotherapy waiting times monitoring. The NHS Cancer Plan set out maximum waiting time targets for first cancer treatment, which will come into effect over the next few years. Arrangements to monitor these targets are currently being put in place and will cover radiotherapy where this is the first treatment.
	Individual radiotherapy services are expected to audit their waiting times for radiotherapy as part of the national standards for cancer. This is monitored locally through the peer review appraisal process. We do not collect data centrally on these waits. Radiotherapy waiting times data will be available when clinical audit datasets are implemented.

Residential Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has undertaken of the implications of the Competition Commission Tribunal Appeal Judgement Bettercare Group Ltd v. The Director General of Fair Trading on resources allocated by government to the purchase of residential care by statutory social services providers from the private sector.

Jacqui Smith: The competition commission appeal tribunal's (CCAT) judgment in the Bettercare case stated that the Competition Act 1998 applied in the particular circumstances that were presented. One implication of this is that potentially local councils' commissioning of care services could be subject to the Competition Act, but each case would need to be considered in the context of its facts. The judgment did not comment on whether the particular health and social care board involved in the case or other councils are presently contravening the Act. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) will now reconsider the issue of the alleged anti-competitive conduct of the board involved in the case. Beyond this, no general assessment of the implications of this ruling can be made. I understand that in deciding not to appeal the judgment the OFT had in mind that the European Court is currently considering a similar case (case T-319/99 FENIN v. European Commission). The outcome of this case is expected before the spring of 2003. This may assist in clarifying further whether the Act applies to the commissioning functions of public bodies.

Smallpox Vaccine

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the procedure for letting the contract for supply of smallpox vaccine; and if he will list the companies which he invited to put in tenders.

John Hutton: After 11 September 2001, the Government decided to augment its existing stocks of smallpox vaccine. For reasons of national security, confidential discussions were held with five companies with known production capabilities in the United Kingdom and Europe and proven track records in the delivery of high quality vaccines. This confidential process was needed to secure stocks quickly in the light of a renewed assessment of risk.
	The companies, whose agreement to being identified has been obtained, were Acambis, Aventis Pasteur MSD, GlaxoSmithKline, Powderject and RIVM. Our requirements for the vaccine strain, timing, and delivery were made clear to each of the companies, who were then given time to submit their written responses.

Transplant Surgeons

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the supply of transplantation surgeons in the United Kingdom (a) at present and (b) if targets for increased transplant activities are met.

John Hutton: Consultants in transplant surgery are not separately identified but are drawn from a range of surgical specialties including cardiac and general surgery (including hepato-biliary) and urology. Postgraduate deans funded 11 new transplant training fellowships from April 2001.
	These are aimed at providing additional training in organ transplantation to surgeons nearing the completion of their training. Following the publication of XA Health Service of All the Talents: Developing the NHS Workforce", workforce has been recognised as key to the successful delivery of the NHS Plan. New national workforce planning and development structures have therefore been set up to take up the challenge of delivering a multidisciplinary and integrated health and social care workforce to support service improvement. The supply of transplant surgeons necessary for the delivery of increased transplant activity will be kept under careful review.

Worcestershire Health Authority

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the financial deficit for the Worcestershire health authority at its dissolution on 1 April, and how this was divided between the primary care trusts that took over its commissioning role.

David Lammy: Worcestershire health authority had a financial deficit of #2,200,000 at its dissolution on 31 March 2002.
	The three primary care trusts (PCTs) in Worcestershire, Redditch and Bromsgrove PCT, South Worcestershire PCT and Wyre Forest PCT, have agreed to divide the #2,200,000 as follows:
	
		
			  #000 
		
		
			 Redditch and Bromsgrove PCT 711 
			 South Worcestershire PCT 1,286 
			 Wyre Forest PCT 203 
			  
			  2,200

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average penalty imposed following conviction for breach of an antisocial behaviour order has been in cases where the offender was fined;
	(2)  how many prosecutions have been brought for breach of an antisocial behaviour order; and how many have resulted in a conviction;
	(3)  what the average prison sentence imposed following conviction for breach of an antisocial behaviour order has been, where the offender was sentenced to immediate imprisonment.

John Denham: The available information, relating to breaches of anti-social behaviour orders in England and Wales, covers the period 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2001 and is shown in the table. The analysis covers only those breaches by persons issued with Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) during this period and notified to the Home Office.
	
		Persons proceeded against for breach of anti-social behaviour orders by outcome England and Wales—1 June 2000 to -- 31 December 2001
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Persons proceed against 139 
			 Persons found guilty 125 
			   
			 Persons fined  
			 Number 18 
			 Average fine amount (#) 116 
			   
			 Persons sentenced to immediate custody  
			 Number 56 
			 Average sentence length (months) 5.5

Asylum Seekers

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what relevant statistical evidence of (a) crime rates, (b) illegal working and (c) health service demands was used to inform the decision to withdraw asylum seekers' right to work;
	(2)  how he plans to monitor the effects of the change to asylum seekers' rights to work; and if he will undertake to review the situation should there be evidence that there is a detrimental effect on asylum seekers in terms of health, crime and illegal working.

Beverley Hughes: I made it clear when I announced the abolition of the employment concession earlier this year that this reflected the increasing timeliness of the asylum decision-making process.
	The concession was established when widespread delays occurred in the asylum system, and we have always made clear that we would review its operation in light of our ongoing reforms to the asylum system. By the time I announced its abolition in July, it had become largely irrelevant and applicable to only a minority of applicants.
	The vast majority (around 80 per cent. of asylum seekers) currently receive an initial decision within six months and we are committed, with our programme of increased resources and ongoing legislative reforms, to further improving the speed of the system for new applicants.
	We also believe that while we continued to operate the concession, an incorrect perception existed that all asylum seekers had permission to work while their cases were considered. This was not the case, and this decision underlines our determination to maintain a robust asylum process which helps those fleeing persecution and not those seeking work in the UK. Those who seek to enter the UK for the purpose of work have a range of schemes open to them, and we continue to open up more routes to allow people to come here and work on a legal basis in ways which boost our economy.
	Those asylum seekers who had already obtained permission to work prior to 23 July 2002 will retain that right until such time as a final decision is made on their claim, while those who had sought permission to work but have not had a response prior to July 23 will have had their requests considered in line with the concession. We have also retained a discretion to grant permission to work in exceptional cases.

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he intends to reply to the letter dated 9 July from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent Mr. A. Innes of Banff.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 28 October 2002
	Due to an administrative error, the hon. Member's letter was not forwarded by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to the appropriate area to provide a reply. It has now been passed to UK Visas for their response. I am very sorry for the delay.

Correspondence

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the letters of the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight dated 24 May and 24 July under his reference V1008944/2.

Beverley Hughes: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) wrote to the hon. Member on 23 October. I am sorry for the delay in responding.

Cowboy Builders (West Sussex)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make funding available from the distraction burglary budget or other crime prevention resources to help expand the first check point scheme based in Lancing, West Sussex, dealing with cowboy builders.

John Denham: holding answer 29 October 2002
	We have made substantial funding available to local crime and disorder reduction partnerships (CDRPs), under the safer communities initiative, the communities against drugs programme and the partnership development fund, to enable them to tackle their crime problems. The Worthing and Adur CDRPs have been allocated #155,072 and #104,154 respectively for 2002–03 under these initiatives. No further central funding has been set aside for distraction burglary projects in 2002–03.
	It is for CDRPs to decide on the priorities and plans for their area and to direct their funding accordingly. In the case of Worthing and Adur, their plans have already been made and approved. If First Check Point wishes to inquire about the possibility of obtaining funding from this source, it will need to contact those local authorities.
	It would be open to anyone seeking to set up a similar local scheme elsewhere to approach their CDRP in the same way.

Criminal Justice

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that the parts of the Criminal Justice Bill for which he is responsible are subject to pre-legislative scrutiny on-line.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 24 October 2002
	The Criminal Justice Bill will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Home Affairs Committee prior to the second reading of the Bill. The Home Affairs Committee is expected to publish a short report which will be available on-line. On-line consultation will not be possible, given the short time-scales between the Queen's Speech and introduction.

Drug-related Crime

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to target support in the fight against drugs on specific communities.

Bob Ainsworth: The fight against drugs involves co-ordinated action to deal with the supply of drugs and drug-related crime, as well as strengthening communities to resist drugs, and providing treatment, harm minimisation and education services. Resources for all these services are targeted according to local needs, so they can target the drugs which do the most harm, problematic users and the most vulnerable sections of society. We will continue to review the way that the available money is allocated to ensure that it is easily accessible and reaches the areas where it can be most effective.

Drug Trafficking

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is planning to strengthen the capability of the Customs and Immigration Services to deal with trafficking in illegal drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 28 October 2002
	The Concerted Inter-agency Drug Action group comprises representatives of the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the security and intelligence agencies and a number of other relevant Departments and agencies (but not the Immigration Service), and is chaired by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise. It has developed a strategy for tackling supply of heroin and cocaine from source to street as part of the overall drug strategy, an update of which we intend to publish later this year.

Gloucestershire Constabulary

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the ability of Gloucestershire Constabulary to provide acceptable levels of policing during the forthcoming financial year; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on the grant settlement for Gloucestershire Constabulary; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will review the grant settlement awarded to Gloucestershire Constabulary; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: Spending Review 2002 has made additional resources available for policing. By 2005–06 spending on the police will amount to around #1.5 billion more than in 2002–03. The final grant position for individual police authorities for the next financial year will take account of the allocation of resources for 2003/04 and the outcome of the recent review of the police funding formula.
	We will take decisions on both the Spending Review and the make-up of the police funding formula shortly. During the recent consultation period on the options for changing the funding formula responses have been received from Gloucestershire police authority and an hon. Friend. All responses are being taken into account, and we are considering very carefully the implications for police authorities of implementing each of the options for change.
	I intend to provide sufficient resources to support Gloucestershire, along with all other police authorities, in maintaining stable levels of service and continuity in local policing.

Gloucestershire Constabulary

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been employed by Gloucestershire Constabulary in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

John Denham: The information requested is set out in the table.
	Gloucestershire Constabulary is currently at record levels of officers.
	
		
			 Year as at 31 March Police Strength Civilian Support Staff 
		
		
			 1992 1,174 367 
			 1993 1,149 375 
			 1994 1,159 381 
			 1995 1,163 381 
			 1996 1,133 415 
			 1997 1,133 435 
			 1998 1,104 423 
			 1999 1,104 504 
			 2000 1,114 484 
			 2001 1,173 506 
			 2002 1,183 545 
		
	
	Source:
	Home Office Statistical Bulletins—Police Service Strength 1997—2002. Home Office historical data 1992—1996

Homicide (Minors)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have (a) had cases initiated against them and (b) been prosecuted for cases which involve the death of minors in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: A suspect in a homicide case is defined as (i) a person who has been arrested in respect of an offence initially classified as homicide and has been charged with homicide, or (ii) a person who is suspected by the police of having committed the offence, but is known to have died or committed suicide prior to the arrest.
	Data on homicides, held centrally, can identify the number of suspects involved and those indicted. The figures for homicide victims under 16 years are given in the table:
	
		
			  Total number of suspects Total number of suspects indicted for homicide 
		
		
			 1996–97 95 75 
			 1997–98 83 64 
			 1998–99 97 73 
			 1999–2000 75 45 
			 2000–01 88 19 
		
	
	Data as at 3 October 2001; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.
	In order to avoid duplication of suspects, only the suspects in relation to the first victim have been counted. If there are cases where the first victim is over 16 years and there are other victims under 16, the associated suspects will not have been included.
	The number of suspects indicted in the last couple of years has not necessarily fallen These figures will change with time. In the published homicide statistics, data are shown according to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident which led to the death took place, nor the year in which any court decision was made. The statistics all refer to the position as at 3 October 2001. Subsequent court hearings or other information received will change the figures given, so too much importance should not be placed on the 2000–01 figures.
	Homicide statistics are published annually in chapter 4 of XCriminal Statistics England and Wales". The latest statistics relating to 2000–01 were published in December 2001 in XCriminal Statistics England and Wales 2000".

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have complained to the Parliamentary Ombudsman about delays in the immigration and nationality directorate.

Beverley Hughes: Information on complaints against Departments investigated during 2001–02 is set out in the Parliamentary Ombudsman's Annual report for 2001–02, copies of which are available in the Library, or on the Parliamentary Ombudsman's website at:
	A total of 35 complaints were made to the parliamentary ombudsman about delays in the immigration and nationality directorate between 1 April 2002 and 30 September 2002.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct the Immigration and Nationality Department Board to answer the letters of the hon. Member for Ashford of 11 June, 30 July and 11 September on the subject of the Mutabarruku family.

Beverley Hughes: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) wrote to the hon. Member on 25 October. I apologise for the delay in doing so.

National Firearms Certificate Holders Register

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of delays in the national firearms certificate holders register database has been; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The national firearms certificate holders register is being developed on the police national computer (PNC) by the police information technology organisation (PITO) using its own internal resources. An integral part of the project is to provide a link between the local systems used by forces and the national database on the PNC. The procurement exercise to engage contract support to develop and implement the necessary interfaces failed to provide a satisfactory solution. PITO estimate that the manpower costs associated with this part of the project totalled some #21,000. I understand that PITO have recently issued a non-binding expression of interest for a re-tender to provide a single firearms licensing management system and to build the interface to the PNC. It is unlikely that the register will now be operational before summer 2004 and work is already being developed to achieve that aim.

Notifiable Offences

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) notifiable offences and (b) convictions per notifiable offence there were for each of the last five years in (i) South Somerset and (ii) West Somerset; and what the average figures were in districts within the same departmental family of comparable policing areas.

John Denham: Information referring to number of (a) notifiable offences (b) the number of convictions for notifiable offences and (c) the proportion of convictions per notifiable offence for the Avon and Somerset police force area is given in the following table. Data giving the proportion of convictions per notifiable offence for selected other police force areas are also given.
	Data relating to the areas specified in the question are not centrally available for three of the last five years.
	
		Notifiable offences, convictions for notifiable offences and convictions per notifiable offence in the Avon and Somerset police force area, and convictions per notifiable offence in selected police force areas(19) 1997–98 to 2001–02
		
			 Avon and Somerset(22) 1997–98(20) 1998–99(21) 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Notifiable offences 144,556 150,089 147,104 149,254 178,991 
			 Convictions for notifiable offences n/a 16,766 18,743 17,186 n/a 
			 Convictions per notifiable offence  0.11 0.13 0.12 n/a 
			   
			  Convictions per notifiable offence in selected police force areas  
			 Bedfordshire n/a 0.13 0.12 0.12 n/a 
			 Cleveland n/a 0.16 0.18 0.17 n/a 
			 Derbyshire n/a 0.14 0.15 0.15 n/a 
			 Dorset n/a 0.15 0.15 0.14 n/a 
			 Gloucestershire n/a 0.13 0.14 0.14 n/a 
			 Hertfordshire(21) n/a 0.17 0.17 0.13 n/a 
			 Humberside n/a 0.12 0.13 0.12 n/a 
			 Northamptonshire n/a 0.14 0.14 0.12 n/a 
			 North Yorkshire n/a 0.19 0.21 0.18 n/a 
			 Nottinghamshire n/a 0.13 0.14 0.13 n/a 
			 Thames Valley n/a 0.11 0.10 0.11 n/a 
			 Warwickshire n/a 0.14 0.12 0.12 n/a 
		
	
	n/a = Not available
	(19) The other police force areas included on this table are those which have similar levels and patterns of recorded crime to Avon and Somerset.
	(20) The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the coverage and rules in use until 31 March 1998.
	(21) There was an increase in notifiable offences during 2000/2001 due to boundary changes on 1 April 2000.
	(22) Some police forces adopted the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of the national implementation in April 2002 Changes in crime statistics in these forces will be strongly influenced by the changes in recording practices. Numbers of recorded crimes will be affected by changes in reporting and recording.
	(23) The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998
	Sources:
	Criminal Statistics, England and Wales
	Crime in England and Wales, 2001–02
	Home Office Court Proceedings Database

Notifiable Offences

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the ratio of police officers to notifiable offences for each of the Police Authorities in England for the latest year for which statistics are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 28 October 2002
	The requested details given in the table are based on information available in the Home Office Statistical Bulletins XCrime in England and Wales 2001–02", published in July, and XPolice Service Strength—England and Wales, 31 March 2002", published in September. The ratios may have been affected in comparison to the previous year as a result of some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard in advance of its national implementation on 1 April 2002.
	
		Number of crimes recorded by the police per police officer
		
			 Police force area Crimes per officer(24)  
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 58 
			 Bedfordshire 49 
			 Cambridgeshire 51 
			 Cheshire 34 
			 Cleveland 49 
			 Cumbria 34 
			 Derbyshire 49 
			 Devon and Cornwall 33 
			 Dorset 40 
			 Durham 31 
			 Essex 38 
			 Gloucestershire 43 
			 Greater Manchester 53 
			 Hampshire 39 
			 Hertfordshire 37 
			 Humberside 57 
			 Kent 36 
			 Lancashire 42 
			 Leicestershire 42 
			 Lincolnshire 42 
			 London, City of 13 
			 Merseyside 37 
			 Metropolitan Police 40 
			 Norfolk 40 
			 North Yorkshire 42 
			 Northamptonshire 50 
			 Northumbria 35 
			 Nottinghamshire 68 
			 South Yorkshire 42 
			 Staffordshire 55 
			 Suffolk 42 
			 Surrey 31 
			 Sussex 47 
			 Thames Valley 52 
			 Warwickshire 44 
			 West Mercia 51 
			 West Midlands 48 
			 West Yorkshire 61 
			 Wiltshire 34 
		
	
	(24) Based on number of recorded crimes in the year ending March 2002 and the number of full-time equivalent police officers in post on 31 March 2002.

People Trafficking

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of victims of people trafficking who have been removed from this country and then been subsequently trafficked back to the UK or to other EU destinations in the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: As people trafficking is not yet a criminal offence, there are no figures currently collected on the number of cases of trafficking. The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill currently before Parliament creates a new offence of trafficking for the purpose of prostitution, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years. This will enable us to tackle the worst forms of exploitation pending the introduction of more comprehensive legislation when parliamentary time permits.
	The only available estimates of the levels of trafficking are based on a Home Office research study XStopping Traffic" (Police Research Series 125, published in 2000), which indicated that there was intelligence to suggest that some women and children are trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. This was estimated at between 140 and 1,400 per year, but it was impossible to make a more accurate assessment of numbers. The report concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that this was on a large scale compared with other European countries. The report did not attempt to estimate the number of people who were trafficked a second time, having previously been removed.

People Trafficking

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of women illegally trafficked to Britain against their will for use in vice rings in the last 12 months.

Bob Ainsworth: As people trafficking is not yet a criminal offence, there are no figures currently collected on the number of cases of trafficking. The only available estimates of the levels of trafficking are based on a Home Office research study XStopping Traffic" (Police Research Series 125, published in 2000), which indicated that there was intelligence to suggest that some women and children are trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. This was estimated at between 140 and 1,400 per year but it was impossible to make a more accurate assessment of numbers.

Police Funding (Avon and Somerset)

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes are planned in Government funding for Avon and Somerset police between 2002–03 and 2003–04.

John Denham: Spending Review 2002 has made additional resources available for policing. By 2005–06, spending on the police will amount to around #1.5 billion more than in 2002–03. The final grant position for individual police authorities will take account of the allocation of resources for 2003–04 and the outcome of the recent consultation process on Local Government Finance Formula Grant Distribution.
	We will take decisions on both the Spending Review and the police funding formula shortly.

Police National Computer

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of convictions were entered on the Police National Computer within three days of the conviction in the last six months;
	(2)  what the average time taken to input conviction data on the Police National Computer, broken down by force, was in the last six months;
	(3)  what proportion of police forces met the target of three days between conviction and entry of that conviction on the Police National Computer over the last six months.

John Denham: holding answer 28 October 2002
	Information is not collected in the form requested. Courts are required to notify court results (in conviction and other cases) to police forces within three working days of completion of the case. Under performance standards set by the Association of Chief Police Officers, police forces are required to input court results (in conviction and other cases) onto the Police National Computer within 72 hours of the receipt of information from the court about the case disposal. We are determined that such key information should be recorded on the Police National Computer in a timely fashion- We therefore commissioned Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to manage and monitor a 12-month programme of work for every force to improve the timeliness of the inputting of key data. As regards court results, the primary purpose was to clear backlog of outstanding cases. The Inspectorate's first report showed considerable progress. Its second report, on the programme overall, which indicates substantial further progress, is under consideration.

Retail Crime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government have introduced since 1997 to enable retailers to ban customers from their premises.

John Denham: holding answer 29 October 2002
	Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs), which have been available since April 1999, can be used to exclude people from specific areas such as retail premises or shopping centres. ASBOs are currently granted by magistrates on application from the police or local authority.
	The Government have also provided support to the British Retail Consortium to assist them in setting up retail crime partnerships. Members of these partnerships use exclusion notices to prevent people from entering their premises.

Rural policing funds

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has to absorb rural policing funds into the main formula by increasing the sparsity factor.

John Denham: The option to incorporate the #30 million rural policing fund into the main formula and to increase the sparsity component to one per cent. was one of a number of options for change that were included in the local government finance formula grant distribution paper in July.
	We are taking into account all responses received during the consultation period and are considering carefully the impact of implementing each of the changes. We shall announce our conclusions shortly.

Speeding Offences

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the powers of a police authority to apply money raised from speeding fines for anti-speeding strategies.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 29 October 2002
	All revenue from speeding offences is normally paid to Her Majesty's Treasury. Under a scheme currently being rolled out nationally, however, fixed penalty fine revenue from enforcement by the use of speed and red-light traffic cameras can be re-invested to meet the costs of such enforcement. Deployment of cameras so funded is subject to strict conditions, including that sites must have a history of speed related casualties and that the cameras must be clearly visible and conspicuous, in order to deter speeding. Money left over goes, as before, to Her Majesty's Treasury.

UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whom he plans to send to represent the Government at the 46th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs to be held in April 2003; and what issues the Government expect to raise at the session.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 28 October 2002
	The Government are normally represented by a Home Office official at commission sessions. The 46th session will include a ministerial segment, but the Government will not make a decision about representation at this level until the new year, when the agenda for it will be finalised.

Youth Inclusion Programmes

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to fund Youth Inclusion programmes beyond their initial three-year period.

John Denham: [holding answer 28 October 2002: We announced on 21 October that the existing Youth Inclusion programme will receive funding for a further three years from April 2003. These schemes, which operate in the most deprived neighbourhoods in England and Wales, have been successful in engaging those young people most at risk of crime, leading to reductions in arrests and rates of crime in the local areas. The Youth Inclusion programme is one of a range of measures that we have introduced to address youth crime. The programmes include work with families, schools and in neighbourhoods, and our programme to reduce street crime.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Damages (Minors)

Ian Lucas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will require that, when an award of damages to a minor is invested, the principal sum is guaranteed in the event of a fall in the value of the investment.

Yvette Cooper: The Court Funds Office (CFO) is the Office of the Accountant General of the Supreme Court. One of the functions of the CFO is to administer funds paid into court on behalf of children when an award of damages is made by the court. The CFO will hold money until the child's 18th birthday unless a Court Order instructs otherwise.
	Money is invested in one of two ways:
	the CFO seeks the advice of its investment service based at the Office of the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee (OSPT), on the investment of money in stocks and certain unit and investment trusts; or
	the money is placed to the CFO special account that pays a competitive gross rate (before tax) of interest with instant access.
	The investment approach to be applied depends upon the investment policy set by the court, the requirements of the fund, the age of the child and the amount of money held. Smaller sums held for shorter periods are placed on deposit and the principal sum will be secure. Larger sums held for longer periods are invested for the long-term usually, with equity exposure. In these cases, no absolute guarantee of capital value can be given.

Judicial Appointments Annual Report

Desmond Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when the fourth Judicial Appointments Annual Report is to be published and what information this edition will contain.

Rosie Winterton: The Judicial Appointments Annual Report, covering the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, is published today. The report includes comprehensive narrative descriptions and statistics on appointments to the judiciary, Queen's Counsel, lay magistrates and general commissioners of income tax. It describes the continuing development of the Lord Chancellor's appointments policies, procedures and initiatives, including the establishment of the Commission for Judicial Appointments, and progress in implementing other recommendations from Sir Leonard Peach's 1999 scrutiny.
	Copies of the report have been placed in both Libraries. The report is also available on the internet.

Magistrates Courts (Greater Manchester)

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much was awarded in fines in each of the last 12 months and what percentage of such fines have been (a) collected and (b) written off by each magistrates court in Greater Manchester; and what assessment the Lord Chancellor has made of the impact of court enforcement officers in fine enforcements.

Yvette Cooper: Magistrates courts committees (MCCs) have a responsibility for the collection of a range of debts imposed by the magistrates courts and the Crown court. Debt collected includes not only fines but also fees, compensation, confiscation orders, legal aid contributions and some maintenance orders. It is not possible to separate out only fines from the total.
	Greater Manchester magistrates courts committee was unable to provide a monthly breakdown of figures. Data are collected from each of the 11 court houses in their estate on a quarterly basis. The figures for the last four quarters are set out in the following table. The percentages in the debt paid and debt written off columns include amounts that have been imposed in previous quarters. It is not possible therefore to isolate the amounts imposed that have been paid and written off in any particular quarter.
	The Government remain committed to improving the enforcement of financial penalties and addressing variations in performance. Current variations in performance across the country are far too wide. Work is under way with the MCCs to look at the reasons behind the wide variations to improve their performance.
	
		
			  Imposed (#) Percentage debt paid(25) Percentage debt written off(26)  
		
		
			 Bolton
			 October to December 2001 378,009 93 23 
			 January to March 2002 332,802 114 21 
			 April to June 2002 397,130 94 27 
			 July to September 2002 381,990 95 28 
			  
			  Bury; Rochdale, Middleton and Haywood; Wigan; Leigh  
			 October to December 2001 1,478,681 62 8 
			 January to March 2002 1,545,300 63 25 
			 April to June 2002 1,504,221 57 6 
			 July to September 2002 1,827,840 47 11 
			  
			 Manchester
			 October to December 2001 1,405,793 55 52 
			 January to March 2002 1,602,245 64 52 
			 April to June 2002 1,593,020 62 42 
			 July to September 2002 1,550,876 69 55 
			  
			 Oldham
			 October to December 2001 293,132 89 37 
			 January to March 2002 248,668 96 40 
			 April to June 2002 232,114 120 53 
			 July to September 2002 212,528 122 25 
			  
			 Salford
			 October to December 2001 254,800 161 72 
			 January to March 2002 197,860 136 75 
			 April to June 2002 266,617 117 41 
			 July to September 2002 235,158 107 44 
			  
			 Stockport
			 October to December 2001 380,056 84 36 
			 January to March 2002 333,999 95 42 
			 April to June 2002 342,505 113 21 
			 July to September 2002 402,187 82 33 
			  
			 Tameside
			 October to December 2001 334,432 73 27 
			 January to March 2002 277,520 78 29 
			 April to June 2002 342,115 64 24 
			 July to September 2002 322,791 69 40 
			 Trafford
			 October to December 2001 895,558 38 8 
			 January to March 2002 1,072,288 26 7 
			 April to June 2002 1,106,034 30 18 
			 July to September 2002 1,038,753 32 88 
		
	
	(25) Includes civil debt and debt imposed in previous quarters and paid in the present quarter.
	(26) Percentage debt that was imposed in previous quarters but has been deemed uncollectable in the present quarter.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Websites

Vincent Cable: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the website links associated with his Department, including sites now dormant or closed, and indicating whether they are live, dormant or closed; what the start up costs were for each site listed; what the operating costs were in each year since start up for each site; which company hosted each site; what assessment takes place for each site; which company does the assessment; if he will place the assessment reports in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The current 10 Downing Street website Xpm.gov.uk" was launched in February 2000 at an initial cost of #75,000, hosted in-house. The running costs in each subsequent financial year are as follows: #185,000 (2000–01), #187,000 (2001–02).
	The number of page impressions and visitor sessions that the site received is monitored weekly in-house and usage statistics are published on the site (www.pm.gov.uk). The 10 Downing Street website received 3,268,240 visitor sessions and 46,379,169 page impressions last year.
	Two other sites—Xannualreport.gov.uk" and Xinyourarea.gov.uk"—were launched in July 2000 at an initial cost of #55,000, hosted by Peasy Ltd. The running costs in each subsequent financial year were as follows: #11,750 (2000–01) and #28,500 (2001–02). Both sites are currently being incorporated into the main Downing Street website.

Special Envoys

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those persons who, since 1 May 1997, have acted as a non-official special envoy on his behalf in countries outside the UK.

Tony Blair: As has been the practice for previous Administrations, if it is helpful to the UK Government individuals may be asked to carry messages or undertake particular tasks on behalf of the Prime Minister or the Foreign Secretary. We do not maintain a record of such occasions.

Special Envoys

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the visits undertaken since 11 March by Lord Levy in his capacity as special envoy, giving in each case the dates of the visit, the persons met, and the purpose of the visit.

Tony Blair: In his capacity as the Prime Minister's envoy, Lord Levy has travelled overseas to exchange views on the Middle East peace process with a range of contacts since 11 March.
	Lord Levy visited Israel between 22 and 24 March and 15 and 17 July. He met Israeli contacts including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Defence Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, President Moshe Katsav, Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Haim Ramon, and Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg. Lord Levy also met US Envoy General Anthony Zinni and US State Department Senior Advisor for Israeli-Arab Negotiations Aaron Miller while he was in Israel in March.
	Meetings also took place on both of these visits with Palestinian Authority leadership including President Yasser Arafat, Sa'eb Erekat, Mohammed Rashid, Mohammed Dahlan and Jibril Rajoub.
	Between 7 and 9 July Lord Levy visited Morocco and met King Mohammed VI. He also met King Mohammed's advisor Andre Azoulay, Foreign Minister Mohammed Benaissa, and Deputy Foreign Minister Taib Fassi-Fehri.
	On 17 and 18 July Lord Levy visited Egypt. He met President Mubarek, Arab League Secretary General Amre Moussa and Presidential Advisor Dr. Osama al-Baz.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Ian Lucas: To ask the Solicitor General on how many occasions the CPS has (a) prosecuted and (b) declined to prosecute an offender for breach of an antisocial behaviour order in 2002.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 28 October 2002
	A breach of an antisocial behaviour order is a criminal offence. The CPS is responsible for the review and conduct of such cases. In considering the decision to prosecute, Crown Prosecutors apply the evidential and public interest tests as set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
	The CPS holds no central records in respect of particular offences. The information is held on individual case files, and could only be obtained by examining each relevant file in every CPS office: the costs of this exercise would be prohibitive.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Air Industry Levy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much levy was received by the Government in financial years (a) 1998–99; (b) 1999–00 and (c) 2000–01 in respect of (i) the Airbus A320 Launch Aid, (ii) the Airbus A330/340 Launch Aid, (iii) RB211–535 aeroengine, (iv) V2500 aeroengine, (v) EH101 helicopter and (vi) Lear 45 executive jet; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: Unfortunately the Government cannot disclose the levies received by programme, as the information is commercially confidential and market sensitive under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Public Information. However, I can provide the total levies received for those programmes for the financial years requested. These are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial Year Total levies received for A320, A330, RB211–535, V2500, EH101 
		
		
			 1998–99 #152.4 million 
			 1999–00 #187.2 million 
			 2000–01 #130.9 million

Airbus 340

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Government has invested, broken down by financial year, in British Aerospace plc for development of the new airbus A340–500/600 wing; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The Government did not invest in the Airbus A340–500/600 wing programme.

Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects solicitors dealing with mining and compensation claims to have received the chronic bronchitis and emphysema pensions model on computer disc.

Brian Wilson: The Department issued a spreadsheet based pensions calculator to claimants'
	representatives on computer disc in June 2002, as an interim measure to assist solicitors. The spreadsheet is also available on the website.
	An enhanced pensions model is being developed and is currently undergoing comprehensive testing. Such testing is necessary to ensure that the model is calculating damages correctly before it is issued to claimants' representatives.
	The Department is liaising with the Coordinating Solicitors Group on both the testing and the plans for issuing it once testing is complete. It is currently planned to release the model in stages-and we expect that the first phase will be released by the end of the year, subject to resolution of certain outstanding issues.
	The pensions model is a complex piece of software and a number of parties are involved in the test and issue process. It is not possible to exactly predict when the complete model will be available, as further problems may be identified during the remaining period of testing that could require fixing before final release.

Cleaner Vehicles Task Force

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much financial assistance has been given to the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force in each of the last five years; what future support is planned in the next two years; when the Task Force is next due to report; what assessment has taken place of the effectiveness of the Task Force; and if she will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department and the Department of Trade and Industry provided secretariat support to the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force (CVTF) and we jointly funded the publication of the Task Force's various reports. The final report of the CVTF "The Way Forward", was published in June 2000 containing a range of recommendations for Government, industry and others on encouraging the production and introduction of cleaner vehicles and fuels. The Government published a formal response to these recommendations in December 2000 (Cm4932) as well as providing a further update on progress in March 2002. Copies of these documents are available in the Libraries of the House.

Hydrogen Technologies

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department has sponsored research into the possible contribution of nuclear energy to the creation of hydrogen to power fuel cells.

Brian Wilson: The Department is not currently sponsoring specific research into the possible contribution of nuclear energy to the creation of hydrogen to power fuel cells. We are, however, actively investing in sustainable hydrogen technologies through industrial research and development on fuel cells via the DTI Advanced Fuel Cells Programme. This is worth approximately #2 million per year. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is investing in fundamental research into sustainable hydrogen technologies at approximately #3 million over four years (through the SUPERGEN initiative) and also in fuel cell technology through generic mechanisms (approximately #500,000 per year).

Hydrogen Technologies

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evaluation she has made of options available to introduce hydrogen-based fuel for transport.

Brian Wilson: Hydrogen can be generated via a number of routes and may be used in modified internal combustion engines or fuel cells to power vehicles. The forthcoming Energy White Paper will discuss the prospective use of hydrogen and fuel cell technology in transport, industrial and other stationary applications.

Security Operation (Barrow)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many personnel, at what cost, and how many Royal Navy vessels were involved in the security operation at Barrow-in-Furness for the docking of the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Teal vessels in September.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 28 October 2002
	Security for the transportation of nuclear material is regulated by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulator. It is not Government policy to disclose details of security measures taken in connection with nuclear material. The costs of compliance with regulatory nuclear security requirements are borne by the company. Details of those costs are a matter for BNFL.
	No Royal Navy vessels were involved with the security operation at Barrow-in-Furness.

Trent Aero Engines

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much the Government has invested broken down by financial year, in Rolls-Royce plc for development of the next generation Trent aero engines; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: The Government will invest #250 million between the years 2000–2003, for the development of the Rolls-Royce Trent 600/900 aeroengines. Launch Investment has helped to maintain the UK's competence in aerospace research and development by supporting Rolls-Royce as a manufacturing centre of excellence in the UK. Rolls-Royce currently employs within the UK 26,500 employees in the civil aerospace sector.

Wind Turbines

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce legislation to allow the development of offshore wind farms outside the 12-mile territorial limit; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: It is important that a legislative framework is in place so that developers are able to build wind farms beyond the 12-mile territorial sea limit. The Government intends to legislate as soon as a place for a Bill is available in the legislative programme.

TRANSPORT

Air Transport (Consultation Document)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many copies of the Department's consultation paper on Future Development of Air Transport in the UK: South East have been issued with the figure of #15,000 instead of #1,500 in paragraph 19.19; and what measures have been taken to inform those in possession of the erroneous publication of this mistake.

David Jamieson: In paragraph 19.9 of XThe Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom (South East)" main, and the second paragraph of section 12.2 of the XSouth East summary consultation" document the correct wording should be X. . .subject to a maximum payment of #15,000."
	The error has been corrected in reprints of both documents and an erratum has been posted for the web version. Letters correcting the error are being sent to all residents who received a summary document in the initial mailing. The hon. Member will also want to be aware that as part of the compulsory purchase policy review, my right hon Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is currently consulting on options that might lead to the revision of the existing Home-loss payments provisions.

A27

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his plans in respect of the Beddingham level crossing on the A27; and whether his plans will include options for consultation with the public.

David Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Tim Matthews to Norman Baker, dated 30 October 2002
	XI have been asked by David Jamieson to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question in respect of the Beddingham Level Crossing on the A27 and plans for public consultation.
	Because of the urgent need to improve safety for both road and rail users at the level crossing, the Highways Agency is consulting on proposals to provide a bridge over the crossing. This was announced in the recent Press Notice (HA483/02) giving details of the Government's rolling programme for dealing with congestion and safety at junctions on the trunk road. The proposals being developed take into account the recommendations from the South Coast Multi Modal Study (SOCOMMS).
	The safety issues with the level crossing are long standing and are likely to increase in future due to possible increases in train services along the south coast line. Traffic management measures have been installed with some beneficial effect but the Agency, Railtrack and the Health and Safety Executive (HOUSE) do not see these as the solution. The HSE (Railway Inspectorate) consider that whilst the number of incidents has reduced the crossing is a high risk site and the highest in the south east. Without grade separation soon the Executive will instruct Railtrack to install full barriers at the crossing instead of the existing half barriers. Should this happen the lost time to road traffic will rise to approximately 20–24 minutes in any hour. This would have a dramatic effect on road capacity and result in a significant increase in the delays that already occur and the amount of queuing currently experienced during peak periods along the A27 in both directions. This in turn would lead to greater pressure on parallel routes as traffic sought to avoid the delays.
	We are arranging a public exhibition for the first week in December, with a Preview exhibition for Councillors, and other elected representatives on the 5th December. A newsletter will be issued to local residents shortly, explaining our proposals and inviting them to an exhibition. We will write to you again nearer December with a formal invitation to the Preview and exhibition.
	If you would like any further details Phil Barnett (Project Manager on 01306–878481) or Paul Arnold (Team Leader on 01306 878475) in our Dorking office would be pleased to help you."

A59 (Lancashire)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will examine the safety of the junction of the A59 in Lancashire at the Clitheroe and Sabden turnoffs and fund changes to it.

David Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr Nigel Evans, dated 30 October 2002
	XI have been asked by David Jamieson to reply to your recent parliamentary question about safety on the A59 trunk road at the Pendle Road/Sabden Road staggered junction in Lancashire.
	The Highways Agency has been monitoring accidents at the junction following the improvements that were undertaken in 1999. The analysis of this accident data indicates a common factor in all of the accidents, namely, collisions between vehicles emerging from the side roads and traffic travelling through the junction on the A59. A number of options have been identified to address this type of accident, and a detailed traffic count and analysis of turning movements is currently under way.
	We are in discussion with the Lancashire Police and plan to meet with them again early next month to agree a strategy for implementing any changes. Our provisional view is that the most appropriate solution would be to make modifications to the existing junction. Our preferred options involve introducing right turn bans, to limit the risk of conflicts occurring, and measures to narrow the A59 carriageway through the junction to restrict opportunities for overtaking and to reduce speed.
	As you may be aware, the A59 is one of a number of routes identified for transfer to local highway authorities in the 1998 White Paper, XA New Deal for Trunk Roads". Under this process, known as detrunking, we are working to a programme for transferring responsibility for the A59 to Lancashire County Council in the spring of next year. This process allows for a fair and equitable transfer of funds to local highway authorities that the Agency would have spent on these roads, including finance for possible schemes such as this.
	Depending on the extent of the changes that are adopted to this junction, it may be possible for the Agency to undertake the work within funding allocated for this financial year. Should this not be the case, then it will be for Lancashire County Council as the new highway authority to decide on the improvements they wish to take forward from the funds that they are allocated.
	I hope this is helpful. If you would like any further information about this matter, please contact the Agency's Route Manager for the A59, Trevor Hunt, Sunley Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester M1 4BE (Tel 0161 930 5691)."

Airport Security

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to review airport security measures.

Alistair Darling: Aviation security measures remain at an enhanced level following the attacks on 11 September last year. The Government keep these measures under constant review, and from time to time additional protective steps will be taken as the situation demands.
	In May this year, as part of the process of continuing review, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I appointed Sir John Wheeler to conduct an independent examination of airport security. The terms of reference for this work, set out in full in the report Sir John submitted to us on 13 September, included a focus on the threat from serious and organised crime at UK airports and the role of the Police Service.
	The Government are grateful to Sir John for the care with which he analysed the issues, and we have considered carefully his findings and recommendations. These, together with his introduction to the report, are today being placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The main body of the document contains information about operational security matters, and for that reason it would not be appropriate to publish the report in its entirety.
	The Report endorses the National Aviation Security Programme and the commitment of those working to deliver its objectives. It also makes some valuable recommendations around the need to strengthen strategic direction, to undertake a detailed multi-agency assessment of the potential threats from serious and organised crime, and to overhaul the arrangements by which airports may be 'designated' for policing by uniformed officers. The Government are happy to accept in principle all of Sir John's recommendations. My Department and the Home Office are working closely together on implementation, which will bring in the police and other control agencies and the airport industry.

Cliffe Airport

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 23 October (ref 74930), what provisional estimates his officials have made of the proportion of take-offs from the possible Cliffe Airport that would take-off towards the east, with reference to wind direction patterns.

David Jamieson: For appraisal purposes, The South East and East of England Regional Air Services study (SERAS) assumed, for all options, that around 30% of departures would be to the east.

Double Decker Buses

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the EU Bus Directive; and if he will make a statement on the future use of double decker buses in the UK.[Transferred]

David Jamieson: The Directive was adopted on 20th November 2001. Officials at my Department are in the process of completing an initial consultation requesting views on the proposed method of implementing it into UK legislation. We are proposing to integrate the requirements of the directive into a consolidation of existing bus and coach regulations to make them simpler and easier to understand. It is hoped to implement this consolidation in the latter half of 2003.
	The Directive will have no effect on the use of existing double-decker buses operating in the UK. Our regulations will permit the current design of low floor, accessible double deck buses to continue to be produced.

Manchester Metrolink

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what extra funding his Department will commit to phase 3 of the Manchester Metrolink extensions following the recent tenders.

David Jamieson: This matter is still under consideration.

Overseas Drivers

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedures exist to check the driving documents of overseas drivers entering the UK to see if they are involved in outstanding road traffic offences from previous visits; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Enforcement of road traffic law is an operational matter for the police. I understand from the Association of Chief Police Officers that the police do not make any specific provision for checking the driving documents of overseas drivers entering the UK. Police require drivers to produce their driving documents routinely after most police stops and following road accidents and traffic offences. The nationality of a driver does not make any difference to this process: all drivers are subject to the provisions of the Road Traffic Acts.
	Details of endorsable road traffic offences committed in Great Britain by all drivers are maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, and may be accessed by the police (via the Police National Computer) in cases where such drivers are stopped at the roadside.
	Additionally, my officials are currently pursuing the ratification of the European Union Driving Disqualification Convention which was adopted and signed under the United Kingdom presidency by all member states. This convention will ensure that a driving disqualification imposed on a European Union citizen in any member state is recognised across all other member states.

Pensioner Bus Passes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to extend the concessionary fare arrangements to offer free bus passes to all pensioners.

David Jamieson: holding answer 29 October 2002
	The Transport Act 2000 guaranteed that from 1 June 2001 all pensioners have been entitled to a free bus pass allowing half-fare travel on local buses, as a minimum. From 1 April 2003 the concession will also be extended to men aged between 60 and 65. We have no plans to extend these provisions, but the legislation does not prevent local authorities from providing concessionary fare schemes which are more extensive than the statutory minimum.

Railways

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his Answer of 15 October, Official Report, column 711W, on railways, how many miles of new rail track, excluding repairs to existing track, have been constructed since May 1997.

David Jamieson: None.

Railways (Bonds Financing)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent discussions have taken place between his Department, the Strategic Rail Authority and the Treasury into the role of bonds as a financing mechanism within the railways; and if he will place copies of related correspondence in the Library;
	(2)  what research has been conducted by and for (a) his Department and (b) the Strategic Rail Authority into the role of bonds as a financing mechanism within the railways; and if he will place copies in the Library.
	(3)  what representations have been received by (a) his Department and (b) the Strategic Rail Authority on the role of bonds as a financing mechanism within the railways; and if he will place copies in the Library.

David Jamieson: The Department has not commissioned any research on the issue of bond financing of railways. It has received a number of representations on rail finances, some of which touch on matters relating to bond financing. The Department would generally expect to seek advice as necessary on such issues from the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA).
	The SRA is itself now considering a number of options for the future financing of the rail industry. However, no firm proposals involving such options have been put to the Department or the Treasury.
	For completeness, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear to the House on 27 June 2002, Official Report, column 976, Network Rail plans to replace its short term bridge finance through longer-term loans securitised against its future income.

Rural Bus Challenge

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for money allocated to but not spent through the Rural Bus Challenge in 2001–02.

David Jamieson: All the #20.5 million awarded to projects successful in the Rural Bus Challenge competition held in 2001–02 remains allocated to those projects. Challenge projects are typically designed to last for 2 or 3 years and expenditure is spread over the relevant financial years.

Seat Belts (Buses)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which is the competent authority to determine the requirements for (a) the fitting of and (b) the use of seat belts in buses and coaches in the UK.

David Jamieson: Regulations on the fitting and use of seat belts in coaches and buses are prepared by the Department for Transport and approved by Parliament in accordance with Directives agreed within the European Union.

Severn Tunnel

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Severn Tunnel will remain open in the event of a fire brigade strike.

David Jamieson: During any industrial action by the Fire Brigade Unions, it is expected that passenger and freight services will operate nearly normally through the Severn Tunnel. The exception will be the transport of some hazardous materials which will be re-routed around the Tunnel.

West Coast Main Line

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the (a) condition of and (b) need for infrastructure schemes on the West Coast Main Line north of Preston.

David Jamieson: The SRA's West Coast Strategy document describes, principally in Appendix A, the main infrastructure measures which are expected to be involved, both for the route as a whole and for specific sections.

West Coast Main Line

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of asking train and freight operating companies to purchase cheaper rolling stock than that envisaged in the Strategic Rail Authority's consultation document West Coast Strategy;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the additional costs that train and freight operating companies will need to bear to meet rolling stock requirements envisaged in the Strategic Rail Authority's consultation document on the West Coast Strategy; and from what sources these costs would be met;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely final level of compensation that will be paid to (a) each passenger train operating company, (b) each freight train operating company and (c) the Royal Mail as a result of (i) the proposed decision to establish a fast line speed maximum of 125 miles per hour rather than 140 miles per hour and (ii) the proposed rolling stock requirements outlined in the Strategic Rail Authority's consultation document West Coast Strategy; and from what sources such compensation would be paid.

David Jamieson: The SRA's West Coast Strategy sets out a package of proposed measures, including infrastructure works and rolling stock changes, which together would deliver the benefits from the upgrade and provide good value for money. The detailed specifications for replacement rolling stock have yet to be fully worked up. The SRA are continuing to discuss these issues with the passenger and freight operating companies and with Network Rail. The cost implications will depend on the final service specification which is agreed, and the terms of the new or revised access agreements which will need to be entered into between the SRA and the train operators. These agreements will also be subject to the Rail Regulator's approval.

West Coast Main Line

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the cost of concentrating possessions in periods close to public holidays outlined in the Strategic Rail Authority's consultation document on the West Coast Strategy to the tourist industry in (a) the North West and (b) Blackpool.

David Jamieson: The proposed engineering programme set out in the SRA's West Coast Strategy has been designed to minimise the impact on all passengers and in particular to reduce the need for weekend and Bank Holiday possessions. For much of the time that works are taking place, trains will continue to operate between London and the north west without interruption. The alternative to total closure of certain sections of the route for limited periods would be considerably more weekend possessions, with an adverse effect on the leisure and tourist industry. However, if the industry has specific concerns about these proposals they should respond accordingly to the SRA's consultation.

West Coast Main Line

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the signalling arrangements envisaged in the Strategic Rail Authority's Consultation document West Coast Strategy will have to be replaced with ERTMS technology to meet EU requirements.

David Jamieson: The requirements set by the EU for the implementation of ERTMS do not include a specific deadline.

TREASURY

Census 2001

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the 2001 census; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 30 October 2002
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking what assessment has been made of the accuracy of the 2001 Census. (77401)
	Census 2001 results are the first to represent the entire population. This was achieved through a new strategy known as the 'One Number Census'. One of the key elements was an independent follow-up survey. The Census Coverage Survey (CCS), as it is known, involved an intensive face-to-face survey of a sample of over 16,000 postcodes containing 320,000 households covering every local authority in England and Wales. By combining the results of the Census and the CCS, it was possible in 2001 to estimate the total resident population-the 'one number'-to a high level of precision, plus or minus 0.2 per cent., and to provide information on the characteristics of those persons missed by the Census.
	Thus in 2001, the Census results represent 100 per cent. of the population. Census response, that is the proportion of people returning a form in England and Wales, was 94 per cent. The 6% of people estimated to have been missed by the Census have been added to the counts using a statistical process that was subject to extensive consultation, and based on the results of the CCS.
	I am confident that the approach we have taken to the 2001 Census provides the most accurate estimates of the population both nationally and for each of the 376 local authorities in England and Wales. No census ever gets responses from 100 per cent. of the population. The 2001 Census was designed from the outset to take full account of this to provide what users of statistics really want—figures representing everyone.
	In addition, the 2001 Census has undergone rigorous testing and quality checking throughout both the fieldwork and processing. Census tests were carried out in 1997 and 1999 and a survey designed to measure the accuracy of response to each question has been completed. Furthermore, a comprehensive set of verification and validation checks were built in to the processing of the data, and data quality played a key role in all aspects of processing the forms. All information on accuracy will be contained in a Census Quality report to be published in 2003.
	Information published so far about the accuracy of the Census is available on the National Statistics website at www.statistics.gov.uk.

Church Restoration and Repairs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts regarding (a) fiscal and (b) other support for church restoration and repairs.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what representations are being made by the UK Government to the European Parliament on the issue of VAT on church repairs;
	(2)  what representations he has received in connection with the possible extension of the listed places of worship grant scheme beyond March 2003.

John Healey: The Government's long-term objective is to secure a reduced rate of VAT for the repair and maintenance of listed buildings which are used as places of worship. At present the formal European agreements in place on VAT prevent us from doing so. As the Chancellor said in Budget 2001, the European Commission has indicated that it will review its reduced rates for VAT in 2003. The Government have introduced a grant scheme to run in the interim period, until the review has been completed.

Firefighters' Strike

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what preparations he has made to ensure the safety and continuity of service to the public in the event of a firefighters' strike.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Minister for Local Government and the Regions on 28 October 2002, Official Report, column 527W.

Money Laundering

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is on action relating to countries named on the OECD's latest money laundering blacklist; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what action he has recently taken to encourage (a) Grenada, (b) Nauru, (c) St.Vincent and the Grenadines and (d) the Cook Islands to comply with the OECD anti-money-laundering system; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government are working actively with other members of the Financial Action Task Force to help jurisdictions on the FATF list of non-cooperative countries and territories to strengthen their anti-money laundering systems. An FATF delegation will visit Grenada in December to review progress, and an IMF mission in 2003 will provide technical assistance to the Cook Islands.
	Most countries are taking measures to improve their systems, and the Government welcome the decision of the FATF last month to remove Russia, Dominica, Niue and the Marshall Islands from the NCCT list in view of the progress they had made. However, in December 2001, the FATF decided to implement counter-measures against Nauru in view of its lack of progress. These counter-measures involve enhanced surveillance and reporting of financial transactions with Nauru.

Taxation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the taxation and national insurance to be raised as a result of the measures covered by IR35 in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04; and when that estimate was made;
	(2)  what taxation and national insurance revenues have been raised as a result of the measures covered by IR35 in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02;
	(3)  how many individuals pay tax and national insurance following PAYE/NIC rules as a result of the measures covered by IR35

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the yield from the introduction of service company legislation to counter avoidance in the provision of personal services were published in Appendix A2 of the March 2000 Financial Statement and Budget Report.It was estimated that 90,000 companies were potentially affected at the time of the introduction of the new rules to tackle avoidance, and that around half would continue to operate subject to additional income tax and National Insurance contributions on deemed payments when required. The Inland Revenue continues to monitor the situation and to ensure that everyone pays the right tax and NICs.

WALES

Manufacturing

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales regarding manufacturing in Wales. [760
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Peter Hain: Working with the First Minister, the Government are developing policies for a strong manufacturing sector in Wales, despite the slowdown in the world economy and the weakness of the euro.

Barnett Formula

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last discussed the impact of the Barnett formula with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Peter Hain: I have not yet had a chance to discuss the impact of the Barnett formula with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but it has served Wales well.

Illegal Drugs

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he will take to help combat misuse of illegal drugs in Wrexham.

Don Touhig: I am concerned by the use of illegal drugs throughout Wales and have regular meetings with the police, National Assembly for Wales and the Home Office to discuss the situation and solutions to this blight on our communities.

Economic Development

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has held with Ministers in the National Assembly for Wales about economic development issues in south-west Wales.

Peter Hain: My predecessor had regular discussions with Assembly Ministers about economic development across the whole of Wales, and I intend to continue with these meetings.

Cockle Beds

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary on cockling on the Dee.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Wales, raised this issue with the First Minister last year. He also visited the hon. Member's constituency to discuss this and other issues.
	I have also raised this issue with the Assembly Rural Development Minister and Transport, Planning and Environment Minister.

Hospital Building

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the Health Minister in Wales to discuss her hospital building programme.

Don Touhig: My right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State will continue to meet regularly with the National Assembly of Wales Health and Social Services Minister to discuss a range of issues, including the NHS in Wales.

Gravel Extraction

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary to discuss alternatives to sand and gravel extraction from the Bristol channel.

Peter Hain: Like my predecessor, I intend to have regular discussions with the First Minister about issues affecting Wales.
	I understand that it is primarily sand, which is extracted from the Bristol channel. This is currently the primary source of fine aggregates for the south-east Wales market.
	I know that the Assembly is looking at a range of options for satisfying this demand. Their objective is to find a long-term solution which is economically viable, as well as being environmentally acceptable.

SMEs

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary about prospects for small and medium-sized enterprises in Wales.

Peter Hain: My predecessor met regularly with Cabinet colleagues, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to discuss a wide range of issues, including small businesses and I will of course continue to do so.
	Small and medium-sized enterprises account for over 99 per cent. of all businesses in Wales and are therefore crucial to the economic success of Wales. A number of measures in the Chancellor's budget will make a significant contribution to supporting small businesses in Wales. 6,000 Welsh SMEs will benefit from the corporation tax starting rate cut from 10 per cent. to zero and a further 13,000 will be helped by the 1 per cent. reduction in the small companies' rate. In addition, thousands of Welsh SMEs will benefit from measures to simplify their VAT.

Employment

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister of the National Assembly concerning unemployment in Wales.

Peter Hain: I fully intend to continue to hold regular discussions with the First Minister on a range of issues including unemployment in Wales.
	The Government recognise that certain sectors, particularly manufacturing, have experienced tough times, due largely to the world economic slowdown.
	However, based on the non census adjusted figures for both Wales and the UK, there is evidence that we are closing the traditional gap between Welsh unemployment and UK unemployment. Welsh unemployment, at 5.3 per cent., is now barely higher than the comparable UK rate of 5.2 per cent.

Employment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State what recent discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the Welsh Assembly on reducing long-term unemployment in Wales.

Peter Hain: The Government's long-term ambition is that by the end of the decade there will be a higher proportion of people in work than ever before.
	Based on non-census adjusted figures for both Wales and the UK, there is evidence that we are closing the traditional gap between Welsh unemployment and UK unemployment. Welsh unemployment, at 5.3 per cent., is now barely higher than the comparable UK rate of 5.2 per cent.
	Employment measures such as the New Deal have been a huge success in Wales and are having an impact on long-term unemployment. In total, some 6,300 long-term unemployed people in Wales have secured sustained jobs through New Deal between the start of the New Deal 25+ programme in July 1998 and June 2002, when the most recent figures were published.

Flooding

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what actions have been taken to reduce flooding of the rivers Teme and Severn in areas which cross the Welsh-English border.

Peter Hain: Flood prevention measures to protect land and property in Wales are a matter for the National Assembly.

Cardiff Art Gallery

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary of the National Assembly for Wales regarding the creation in Cardiff of a gallery for contemporary Welsh artists.

Peter Hain: Like my predecessor, I plan to have regular discussions with the First Minister about a range of matters affecting Wales.
	On 19 June, the National Museums and Galleries of Wales published a consultation paper, 'Views of the Future', setting out options for displaying the nation's art collection, including the work of contemporary Welsh artists.
	In due course, the museum will report on the outcome of this consultation to the Assembly's Culture Minister.

Dairy Farming

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on dairy farming in Wales.

Peter Hain: This is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

Waiting Lists

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales regarding the length of waiting lists in Wales.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I will continue to meet the National Assembly First Minister and Health Minister regularly to discuss a range of issues including the length of waiting lists.
	I know that the Assembly and Welsh Trusts are working on a range of initiatives to tackle waiting lists, including recruitment and retention plans and the appointment of out-patient managers to manage booking arrangements for patients attending clinics.

Drugs and Crime

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the co-ordination taking place between his Department, other Whitehall departments and the Wales Assembly to combat drug abuse and drug-related crime.

Don Touhig: The UK Government, both the Wales Office and other Whitehall Departments, are committed to working with the National Assembly for Wales to tackle drug abuse and drug-related crime in Wales; I have regular meetings with my Ministerial colleagues, both in Whitehall and in the Assembly, to discuss these issues.
	The National Assembly has developed its own strategy for tackling substance misuse: "Tackling Substance Misuse: A Partnership Approach". This strategy focuses on the problems in Wales and has Welsh solutions. This is one of the strengths of devolution: it enables the unique situations in Wales to be addressed by solutions that are tailor made for our communities.
	In addition, the UK Government, working in conjunction with the National Assembly, is working to tackle the underlying causes of social deprivation. People in more affluent areas have better opportunities and life choices than people in deprived areas, who may turn to drugs as a means of escaping from their lifestyles.

Ministerial Meetings

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how often has (a) he and (b) his Under-Secretary attended meetings of the (i) Agriculture, (ii) Justice and Home Affairs, (iii) Environment and (iv) Transport Councils of Ministers in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: Neither my predecessor nor the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has attended any meetings of the Council of Ministers.
	Clearly there is a limit to the number of people who can participate in any one delegation. Where council meetings cover issues of particular interest to the devolved administrations, the priority must be to accommodate Ministers from the devolved Administrations wherever possible.
	Assembly Ministers have attended numerous council meetings as part of the UK delegation, including seven meetings of the Agriculture Council and one Environment Council.
	The Government are committed to involving the devolved Administrations in formulating the UK's policy position in Europe, wherever appropriate.

Steelworkers' Pensions

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly Government First Secretary and other Government colleagues concerning the pension situation of Welsh steel workers.

Peter Hain: My predecessor had regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues and the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales and discussed a range of issues including steelworkers pensions. I will of course continue to take a close interest and this will include discussions with stakeholders.
	The issue of ASW workers' pensions was also raised at Welsh Affairs Committee on 15 October 2002, at which my predecessor participated. The Government is trying to address the issue of security for pension scheme members and will consider this in the forthcoming Green Paper.

Welsh Language Broadcasting

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the promotion of digital broadcasting in the Welsh language throughout Wales.

Peter Hain: Like my predecessor I plan to have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and Assembly Ministers about a wide range of matters affecting Wales.
	The Government recognises the key role which S4C plays in nurturing and developing the Welsh language throughout Wales, and the importance of their moving forward with the development of their digital service.

Education

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly about cross-border needs for further education provision.

Don Touhig: I regularly meet Welsh Assembly colleagues to discuss a range of issues, including further education provision.

Community Safety

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary on community safety, and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Assembly Ministers about matters affecting Wales.
	The Assembly and the Crime Reduction Unit for Wales have key roles in promoting community safety.
	We have seen a period of intense activity which has resulted in the local partnership approach making a real impact, backed by funding of #22 million from the Government and the National Assembly.

Proportional Representation

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the consequences of the use of proportional representation in Assembly elections.

Peter Hain: The electoral system is a matter reserved to Parliament under the devolution settlement and the Government have no plans to bring forward legislation to change it.

Redundant Steelworkers

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to work with the National Assembly to help the steelmakers made redundant at Allied Steel and Wire in Cardiff.

Peter Hain: My predecessor the right hon. Member for Torfaen maintained regular contact with the National Assembly for Wales and the First Minister on the plight of Allied Steel and Wire and of its workers.
	He recently met South Wales representatives of the National Association of British Steel Pensioners together with my right hon. Friend, the member for Aberavon, to listen to their concerns about law reform.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many referrals for suspected benefit fraud were generated by his most recent television advertising campaign; and what proportion of these resulted in (a) a full investigation and (b) successful prosecution or other penalty.

Malcolm Wicks: Referrals come to the Department from many sources and it is not possible to identify separately those generated by the television advertising campaign. The primary objectives of the Targeting Fraud campaign are to positively reinforce honest behaviour, to create a climate of intolerance to benefit fraud and to undermine its social acceptability, rather than specifically to invite fraud referrals. Evaluation shows that public attitudes are moving in a positive direction as a result of the campaign.

Benefit Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much is paid to a postmaster who reports a case of suspected benefit fraud; and what plans he has to increase this amount.

Malcolm Wicks: The amount of the award which may currently be paid to a postmaster who reports a case of suspected instrument of payment fraud is #10.00. In cases where Post Office staff show exceptional diligence, a reward of #25.00 may be considered. There are no current plans to increase these amounts.

Child Benefit Claims

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for allowing claims to child benefit to be made electronically.

Malcolm Wicks: The draft Order to enable claims for child benefit to be made was approved by both Houses inJuly. From October 28 2002 our customers are able to make a claim or report a change of circumstances electronically via the internet.
	Huw

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Starter Homes Initiative

Don Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the successful bidders for the second round of the Starter Home Initiative and indicate how much each one will receive.

Tony McNulty: The list of successful bidders for Starter Home Initiative Round 2 funding and the allocations made to each one are set out in the table below. Some of the bidders are assisting key workers across a number of local authority areas.
	
		
			 Bidder Funding allocation #s 
		
		
			 Boleyn and Forest Housing Society 1,705,650 
			 Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association 1,291,500 
			 Metropolitan Home Ownership 735,000 
			 Moat Home Ownership 3,486,000 
			 Aldwyck Housing Association 840,000 
			 Swaythling Housing Society 2,142,000 
			 Apex Housing Group 188,100 
			 Midsummer Housing Association 103,000 
			 Northcote Housing Association 1,055,750 
			 Oakfern Housing 105,000 
			 Sovereign Housing 493,500 
			 Southern Housing Home Ownership 1,921,500 
			 Airways Home Ownership 882,000 
			 Soha Housing 287,000 
			 Thames Valley Housing Association 1,218,000 
			 Signpost Housing Association 945,000 
			 Western Challenge Housing Association 420,000 
			 Sarsen Housing Association 472,500 
			 Knightstone Housing Society 220,500 
			 Devon and Cornwall Housing Association 105,000 
			 Touchstone Housing Association 262,500 
			 Angevin Specialist Homes 100,000

Starter Homes Initiative

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what definition of key workers her department is using in the Starter Homes Initiative.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The Starter Home Initiative is assisting primarily teachers in schools, police, nurses and other health workers to buy their first home. Bids for Starter Home Initiative funding were also invited to assist other key workers, and as a result some social workers, care workers, occupational therapists, fire fighters and transport workers are also being assisted. Huw

Rural Planning

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with rural organisations on the subject of developing the capacity of parish and town councils to handle more of the planning process.

Tony McNulty: The Deputy Prime Minister has had a number of discussions with rural organisations, including the Countryside Agency, where he has discussed the role of parish councils in the planning process.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's officials have also had discussions with the Countryside Agency and the National Association of Local Councils on the role of parish and town councils more generally.

Affordable Housing, Salisbury

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many units of affordable housing have been built in Salisbury constituency in each year since 1997.

Tony McNulty: Figures for the actual provision of affordable housing in Salisbury constituency including all new affordable housing as at 1st April for each year for the period 1997–2002, are as follows:
	1997—86 units
	1998—105 units
	1999—116 units
	2000—85 units
	2001—138 units
	2002—121 units A total of 651 affordable housing units were provided over the period 1997–2002 at an average of 108 per year.

Domestic Hedges

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to introduce legislation to limit the height of domestic hedges; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon Member to the answer given to the hon Member for Ceredigion (Mr. Simon Thomas) on 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 290W. Huw

Urban Summit

Llew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on (a) events organised for, (b) planned release of documents at and (c) number of registrants for the Urban Simmit in Birmingham at the end of October.

Tony McNulty: The Urban Summit will be held on 31 October and 1 November at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. The Summit will include plenary sessions with keynote speakers and panel sessions, as well as 28 Themed Sessions, nine site visits and over 20 fringe events. All announcements regarding documents to be published at the Summit will take place shortly. The Urban Summit is for 1500 delegates and all places have been allocated.

Home Demolition

David Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many public and private sector homes were demolished in England in 2001–02 in each local authority area.

Tony McNulty: Private sector dwelling demolitions funded by local authorities and local authority dwelling demolitions totalled 15.2 thousand in 2000–01, the latest year for which a breakdown by local authority area is available. Demolitions of local authority dwellings amounted to 13.9 thousand, and the numbers in each local authority area are available in the Libraries of the House.

Mobile Phone Masts

Mark Oaten: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the honourable Member for Tunbridge Wells of 24 June, Official Report, column 672W, on mobile phone masts, what assessment his Department and the Working Group have made of the proposed Deloitte & Touche review of the 10 Commitments voluntary code of practice adopted by the five mobile telephone operators;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that the review of the code of practice adopted by the five mobile telephone operators includes the extent to which (a) members of the public, (b) school governors, (c) councillors and (d) other interested parties were consulted on siting and erection of mobile phone masts as per Commitment 1 of that code.

Tony McNulty: The review by Deloitte & Touche, commissioned by the Federation of Electronics Industry (FEI), is a thorough assessment of the operators' ten commitments. The review has not yet been completed, but we expect to see the results by the end of 2002.
	Commitment 1 by the mobile phone operators is to develop, with other stakeholders clear standards and procedures to deliver significantly improved consultation with local communities. The operators' performance against this will be assessed as part of the review and Deloitte and Touche will be talking to local community groups and local authorities.

Mobile Phone Masts

Mark Oaten: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library copies of the site share statistics for mobile telecommunications masts.

Tony McNulty: The site share statistics for mobile telecommunications masts are gathered on behalf of the telecommunications industry by the Federation of Electronics Industry (FEI).
	They are collated quarterly and show: the numbers of mast that are sharable; the numbers that are shared; and the percentage of shared masts to shareable masts. We will place the latest version of the statistics in the Library at the earliest opportunity. Huw

Firemen's Strike

Simon Burns: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  in the eventuality of a firemen's strike how many (a) green goddesses and (b) armed forces personnel will be stationed in (i) Essex and (ii) Mid Essex to provide fire cover and other services and where they will be stationed;
	(2)  in the eventuality of a firemen's strike in Essex what specialist training will armed forces personnel receive to deal with fires and other emergencies; what duties will armed forces personnel be allowed to carry out; what duties that firemen currently carry out will not be performed by armed services personnel; and how many retained firemen are expected to carry on working and provide cover for fire fighting and other emergencies;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the contingency plans to provide cover for accidents and fires in Essex if there is a firemen's strike

Nick Raynsford: Emergency cover in Essex, as with the rest of the country, will consist of a number of elements including Green Goddess crews, breathing apparatus teams, rescue teams equipped with specialist equipment and the police. The provision of MOD emergency fire cover has been planned in consultation with the Chief Fire Officer to maximise call-out response times and the availability of a range of firefighting capabilities.
	Personnel have been trained and equipped to provide basic emergency fire and rescue cover. The level of training is dependent on the skills already held by personnel and the role that they would perform in the event of a strike. Drivers and basic crew only require a short training package because of the simple nature of the equipment and because of the basic level of cover given. Fire Rescue Teams fulfil a more difficult role, which utilises technical equipment in dangerous situation. Some Fire Rescue Teams are already trained and experienced in the use of breathing apparatus and other specialist equipment but additional personnel have also been trained in these techniques. Other support training as well as driver training includes first aid training and specialist equipment maintenance training. Basic training lasts up to five weeks, depending on skill levels and role, plus any other necessary follow on training.
	The command and operational structure for emergency fire cover has been designed to enable maximum flexibility and use of available resources, whether from within a county or from assets deployed nearby in neighbouring counties. The fire crews will use a number of temporary stations across the country but the deployment of fire fighters will be based on the assessment of how best to respond to an emergency in the quickest time possible.
	Retained Firefighters provide a very valuable service to their communities. We anticipate that in the event of industrial action, many retained firefighters will continue to protect the communities in which they live and work.
	The MOD's emergency cover will not replicate the fire fighting capabilities of the Fire Service, but will minimise, as far as possible, the danger to human life. Service personnel will provide basic fire and rescue cover. Huw

Sustainable Development

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the role of a legally binding framework relating to the delivery and auditing of sustainable development by local authorities;
	(2)  what steps are being taken by his Department to allow local authorities to (a) increase self-determination and control and (b) increase local accountability of the delivery of sustainable development objectives;

Christopher Leslie: The Local Government Act 2000 placed a duty on local authorities to prepare community strategies for promoting the economic, social and environmental well being of their communities and contributing to sustainable development in the UK. Our guidance does not stipulate a timetable for the preparation of community strategies but we have introduced a statutory Best Value Performance Indicator to report on the progress of each authority.
	The Local Government White Paper Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services introduced a national framework for assessing the performance of authorities which shifts the focus to the delivery of outcomes. The cornerstone of this framework is the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) which will provide local people with clear and concise information about their council's performance. The Government is also committed to giving local authorities greater freedom to deliver by removing unnecessary bureaucracy. In addition to the action taken for all authorities, CPA will be used as the basis for offering extra freedoms to the best performers. We expect that such authorities will use these freedoms to deliver sustainable improvements to the quality of life of their communities. We intend to announce the details shortly.

National Assembly for Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from the National Assembly for Wales concerning the Richard Commission on the Assembly's powers and electoral arrangements.

Tony McNulty: The Welsh Assembly Government intends the Commission to operate independently. How it conducts its work is a matter for the right hon. Lord Richard QC and his colleagues.

Rent Charges

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the ability of local authorities to waive amounts owed by a pensioner who has stayed in hospital beyond the current maximum time limit before benefit claw-back becomes liable.

Nick Raynsford: The setting and collection of rents, including decisions on whether or not to waive rent charges for local authority tenants in particular circumstances is a matter for local discretion.
	Any such decision may be influenced by the application and interpretation of Housing Benefit rules which are the reponsibility of my right hon. Friend, the Member for Oxford East. Huw

Bed-and-Breakfast Accommodation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the answer of 15th October, col 296W, how many of the 128 households in West Sussex in bed and breakfast accommodation have been housed in this way for longer than (a) one month, (b) six months, (c) one year and (d) two years.

Barbara Roche: Available information as reported by local authorities in West Sussex is presented in the table below.
	
		Average length of stay in bed and breakfast for homeless households in any form of temporary accommodation, as at 31 March 2002
		
			  less than 1 week 1 week to less than 1 month 1 month to less than 3 months 3 months to less than 6 months 6 months less than 1 year 1 year or more Total 
		
		
			 Adur 0 6 8 2 1 0 17 
			 Arun 0 18 14 6 1 0 39 
			 Chichester 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Crawley 6 14 17 9 0 0 46 
			 Horsham n/r n/r n/r n/r n/r n/r n/r 
			 Mid Sussex 2 6 11 14 0 0 33 
			 Worthing 3 5 4 6 0 0 18 
			 West Sussex reported totals 11 49 54 37 2 0 153 
		
	
	Note:
	Includes any households which, although not in B&B on 31 March, had been accommodated in B&B at some time since their application to the local authority. n/r denotes information not reported. B&B includes annexe-style units where some or all facilities are shared with another household.
	Source:
	DTLR/ODPM P1(E) housing activity returns (quarterly)

Planning Appeals

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make an assessment of the frequency with which Government planning inspectors disallow section 106 agreements following the successful allowance of an appeal; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Since 1999, The Planning Inspectorate has decided 17 appeals under Section 106B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Ten have been allowed. Huw

Coalfield Regeneration Trust

Wayne David: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the allocations of the monies from the Coalfield Regeneration Trust were for (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland in (i) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02.

Tony McNulty: Funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust for 2000–01 and 2001–02 was provided as follows:
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 England #15.650m #24.397m 
			 Scotland #2.434m #1.847m 
			 Wales #1.776m #1.455m

Community Regeneration Trust

Wayne David: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the basis on which monies under the Community Regeneration Trust are allocated to England, Wales and Scotland.

Tony McNulty: Funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust is a devolved issue. My office provides core funding for the Trust's activities in England, the Welsh Assembly provides core funding for the Trust's activities in Wales and the Scottish Executive provides core funding for the Trust's activities in Scotland.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Sudan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Government of Sudan regarding the transparency of Sudan's oil revenues.

Denis MacShane: We have not made representations recently because this issue is being handled at the peace talks at Machakos.

Sudan

Mr. Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's involvement in the peace process in Sudan.

Denis MacShane: The UK government is actively engaged in the peace process in Sudan. The UK Special Representative for Sudan, Alan Goulty, is leading the UK observer delegation at the peace talks. He and his team work closely with the mediators. We also carry out intensive consultations with the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army in Khartoum and elsewhere. We co-ordinate our efforts with international partners. Peter

Mr. Ian Stillman

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation of Mr. Ian Stillman, who is in an Indian prison.

Mike O'Brien: Mr. Stillman is a long term resident of India who is physically handicapped. He was arrested and convicted on narcotics charges and has been in prison in Himachal Pradesh since 28 August 2000. We are very concerned about his welfare and are in close touch with him and his family. We have raised his case with the Government of India on many occasions. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke with the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Vajpayee, on 12 October and I spoke with the Indian Foreign Secretary on 16 October.
	Our High Commission in New Delhi will be following up these conversations with the Government of India to clarify the next steps in Mr. Stillman's case, as well as pursuing with the Himachal Pradesh authorities practical questions relating to Mr. Stillman's welfare. I very much hope that he will be released from prison soon.

Angola

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made with the clearance of landmines in Angola.

Denis MacShane: A total of eight demining NGOs, including two British (HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group (MAG)) are active in Angola. The cessation of military hostilities earlier this year has allowed them access to areas previously inaccessible because of insecurity.
	According to data available from the Angolan Government, NGOs, and UNICEF/UNDP sources, humanitarian demining agencies in Angola have in 2002 collectively worked on a total of 35 minefields, of which 29 have been completely cleared. This work has involved clearing a total of 1.5 million square metres of mined/suspect land and more than 500 km of road. A further 3.5 million square metres have been surveyed during the same period in the provinces of Cunene, Benguela, Bie, Huambo, Kuanza Norte, Luanda, Malanje and Moxico. Throughout the course of the year demining NGOs have uncovered and destroyed over 2,000 anti-personnel landmines, 176 anti-tank mines and 28,000 items of unexploded ordnance (UXO).

Zimbabwe

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with (a) the MDC and (b) the UN over investigations by the UN Commission on Human Rights of human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

Denis MacShane: FCO Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and other opposition and civil society groups, on developments in Zimbabwe. The UK supported the EU's draft resolution on Zimbabwe at the UN Commission on Human Rights in April this year in Geneva. Officials have regular contact with UN officials at all levels. Peter

Rough Diamonds

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions (a) her Department and (b) other Government departments have had with participant governments regarding the development of national action plans in preparation for the establishment of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds.

Denis MacShane: I have been asked to reply.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the lead department for the Kimberley Process international certification Scheme for rough diamonds, which we expect to start in January 2003.
	The European Commission has issued a draft Regulation, setting out how the Kimberley Process will be implemented in the EC. The FCO has submitted an Explanatory Memorandum for parliamentary scrutiny, in advance of final approval of the Regulation by the Council.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is setting up a Government Diamond Office to implement the Regulation within the UK and is preparing guidance for companies.
	We have had discussions with a number of other participants about their implementation and understand that they are also in the process of completing their plans for implementation.

Shener Levent

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights implications of the forthcoming trial of Shener Levent of the Afrika newspaper in Northern Cyprus.

Denis MacShane: I am disappointed that Sener Levent is again being tried in court for publishing articles critical of the Turkish Cypriot authorities. I condemn all attacks on press freedom, and call upon the Turkish Cypriot authorities to ensure full respect for the right to freedom of expression of Sener Levent and all Turkish Cypriots. The British Government made official representations when Sener Levent and Memduh Ener were imprisoned in August and we will continue to follow this case closely. Peter

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps are being taken to ensure that communications between weapons inspectors working in Iraq with the United Nations are secure; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: It is the responsibility of UNMOVIC to ensure its readiness to operate effectively on the ground in Iraq.
	UNMOVIC have told us that they have identified, but not yet procured, a range of new technologies and equipment that should ensure encrypted communications of both voice and data between inspectors in Iraq and the UN offices in New York and Vienna as well as internally within the UN Monitoring Centre in Baghdad.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the text of the resolution prepared by the United States and United Kingdom for the United Nations Security Council in respect of action to be taken against Iraq to permit international inspectors and to destroy its weapons of mass destruction.

Denis MacShane: The draft resolution is under discussion at the United Nations Security Council in New York. A copy will be placed in the House Libraries when it has been agreed.

Iraq

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure that weapons inspectors are reintroduced and active in Iraq as soon as is possible.

Denis MacShane: Discussions on a new Security Council resolution focusing on Iraqi disarmament and the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq are continuing in New York. Planning by the Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC and the Director General of the IAEA for their inspection teams to enter Iraq is at an advanced stage, and they expect to be ready to do so soon after the resolution has been adopted.

Turkey

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Turkey about EU enlargement.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met Foreign Minister Gurel on 24 September during his visit to London. They spent much of the meeting discussing EU Enlargement, with particular reference to Cyprus and Turkey. HMG welcomes the major reforms that Turkey has adopted in recent months and believes that Turkish accession to the EU would be in the best interests of Britain and of Europe as a whole. Peter

General Affairs Council

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the General Affairs Council held on 21st to 22nd October; what the Government's stance was on each issue discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and the then Minister for Europe represented the UK at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Luxembourg on 21/22 October. Conclusions were agreed by consensus and no formal votes were taken. The Council adopted the XA" points listed in document 12354/1/02 PTS 44. Copies of this document will be placed in the Library of the House.
	General Affairs Session
	Progress of work in other Council Configurations
	The Council took stock of developments in other Council configurations during September and October, noting that the issue of the EU Return Programme on Afghanistan and its financing would be on the November JHA Council's agenda.
	Preparation of the European Council (Brussels 24/25 October)
	Enlargement
	Delegations welcomed Ireland's ratification of the Nice Treaty and broadly supported the annotated draft agenda for the European Council in accordance with new procedures agreed at Seville. The Council confirmed that ten countries were expected to accede to the EU by 2004 and that accession negotiations with these countries should be concluded at the Copenhagen European Council, with signature of the accession Treaty following in Athens in April 2003.
	The Council also supported the Commission's evaluation of Romania and Bulgaria's progress, noting the Commission's plan to present updated pre-accession strategies for these countries at the Copenhagen European Council. Turkey's recent and substantial progress was also noted.
	Agreement was found on the institutional questions (weighting of votes in the Council; QMV threshold; future size of the European Paliament and seat allocation).
	The Council also agreed the EU Common Position on the Competition Policy Chapter with the Czech Republic. Consultations on this with Slovakia will continue.
	Kaliningrad
	The Council took stock of discussions with Lithuania and the Russian Federation and expressed the hope that a solution could be agreed at the EU/Russia summit on 11 November. The Council proposed that the following elements should be contained in the package: (i) Lithuania should implement national border control regulations by January 2003, in line with chapter 24 of the EU Accession Treaty; (ii) the Facilitated Transit Document (FTD) should be available as of January 2003, in accordance with the Commission communication of 18 September 2002; and (iii) use of Russian passports, FTDs and other valid travel documents should be sanctioned by Lithuania until December 2004, for transit by train.
	Floods: establishment of an EU solidarity fund
	The Council, Commission and Parliament have jointly agreed to a draft Institutional Agreement to establish an EU Solidarity Fund. Signature to the Agreement and formal adoption of the regulation by the Council will proceed as soon as possible, enabling the EU to demonstrate its solidarity with the victims of recent floods in Central Europe.
	External Relations
	Middle East
	The Council took stock of the situation, following High Representative Solana's readout of 'Quartet' discussions on the roadmap towards achieving a comprehensive settlement by 2005. Ministers condemned the terrorist attack in Hadera, Northern Israel and expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in the Middle East.
	Western Balkans
	Albania
	The Council authorised the Commission to open negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Albania, in parallel to the Consultative Task Force (CTF) meetings, which will encourage further reforms.
	Bosnia and Herzegovina Peter
	The Council noted the October election results, complimenting the authorities' efficient organisation but stating that the low turnout was disappointing. The Council called for the early creation of new governments committed to vigorous reform. The Council reconfirmed the EU's commitment to work actively with the new authorities to this end.
	Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY)
	The Council regretted that the 13 October election turnout was insufficient to enable the election of a new President in Serbia. It urged all political parties to work together to ensure that the process of selecting a new President would be conducted in a manner safeguarding democratic stability in a period of reform.
	Kimberley Process
	The Council supported the Kimberley process' aim to establish an international certification scheme for global trade in rough diamonds. It agreed to take the necessary steps to support this and adopted a Declaration to this effect.
	Relations with Russia
	The Council took stock of preparations for the EU-Russia Summit, to be held in Copenhagen on 11 November 2002. The Summit is expected to assess the Russia-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, and will discuss EU enlargement plus international issues.
	Iran: human rights
	Council conclusions were adopted on the establishment of an EU-Iran human rights dialogue. The Council welcomed Iran's agreement to this dialogue and underlined its concern at current violations of civil and political rights.
	Indonesia: terrorist attack in Bali
	The Council condemned the attacks of 12 October. It reaffirmed the EU's long-term commitment to the fight against terrorism and the need for the international community to act together.
	Ivory Coast
	The Council was briefed by the Presidency and the French delegation on the latest developments. The Council condemned the violence in Cote d'Ivoire, reiterating its attachment for the principles of the African Union, which condemns any recourse to force in order to obtain political change. It also welcomed the cease-fire agreement and offered support to ECOWAS mediation efforts.
	ESDP
	Ministers had an exchange on the state of play concerning EU-NATO relations. Peter

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the situation in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The security and humanitarian situation in the Ituri region remains serious as a result of ethnic clashes and fighting between rebel groups. The United Nations Secretary General has asked the Ugandan Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) to stay in the Ituri region to provide law and order, until an alternative Congolese force can perform this role. The UN peacekeeping operation has also been asked to increase its presence in Ituri.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what humanitarian assistance is being provided to the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The UK is not at present providing any direct humanitarian assistance to the Ituri region. UK assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is focused on human rights projects. Relief assistance is provided through the UN and international NGOs. This year the UK expects to spend over #14 million in the DRC on direct humanitarian and conflict resolution assistance.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Uganda to ensure that its remaining forces in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo cease partisan involvement in ethnic conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The United Nations Secretary General has asked the Ugandan Peoples Defence Force (UPDF) to stay in the Ituri region to provide law and order, until an alternative Congolese force can perform this role. The UK has reminded the Ugandan Government of the UPDF obligations to the local population. Peter

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which UK companies were named in the report to the UN on 21st October by the UN Panel on Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as violating OECD guidelines; what representations have been made to these companies; and what action will be taken.

Denis MacShane: Twelve UK registered companies are amongst the 85 listed in Annex III of the UN Panel report (S2002/1146), which can be found on the UN website (www.un.org). The Panel alleges that these companies have violated the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The report does not go into detail. We have encouraged the companies that have contacted us to seek further information from the UN. We are considering a substantive response to the report's recommendations.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recommendations made by the report to the UN of 21st October by the UN Panel on Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with particular reference to the recommendation to impose financial restrictions on companies and individuals involved in abuses; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: We welcome the report, which recommends a wide range of potential actions. We are considering a substantive response. It is too early to comment on specific proposals.

United Nations Day

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government has to mark United Nations Day.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs issued a press statement on 24 October to mark United Nations Day.
	That evening my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development was guest speaker at a UN Day reception at her Department's Headquarters hosted by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC). todd

Uganda

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Uganda regarding the raid on the offices of the Monitor newspaper.

Denis MacShane: I refer to the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr Nigel Waterson) on 22 October Official Report, column 201W.

Poland

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Poland.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met his Polish opposite member in London in July and hopes to make his second official visit to Poland in due course.

EU Enlargement

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Swedish Foreign Minister regarding (a) EU enlargement and (b) the euro.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs meets his Swedish counterpart Anna Lindh, regularly in the margins of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). The Secretary of State visited Sweden on 29-30 August 2002. He most recently met Anna Lindh at the European Council on 24-25 October 2002. Discussions have covered the range of EU topics including EU Enlargement and the Euro.

Irish Referendum

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the result of the Irish referendum and its implications for the EU.

Denis MacShane: I am very pleased that the Irish people voted in favour of the Treaty of Nice. Nice is necessary for enlargement to take place smoothly by 2004. Enlargement is essential for European stability, security and prosperity. However, important and difficult negotiations lie ahead between now and the Copenhagen European Council in December. todd

Cameroon

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Cameroon; and whether he has identified an improvement since the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture visited that country in 1999, with particular reference to the use of torture.

Denis MacShane: The UK continues to be concerned about the human rights situation in Cameroon. We continue to use every available opportunity, bilaterally and through the EU and Commonwealth, to bring pressure upon the Government of Cameroon to implement substantial human rights and governance reform generally. We do not believe that there have been substantial improvements to the situation since the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture's report in 1999.
	The FCO's Anti-Torture Initiative was established in October 1998. Phase 3 of the initiative was launched in July this year and was marked in Cameroon by a joint British Council-British High Commission seminar aimed at raising awareness of the issue in Cameroon.
	The British High Commission in Yaounde has funded projects to provide human rights training for the forces of law and order, and works with local NGOs to promote action on human rights problems.

Collective Defence

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on the question raised in the note by Mr. M Barnier to Members of the Convention on the Future of Europe, CONV 264/02, as to whether an undertaking of collective defence should be enshrined in the Treaty on European Union.

Mike O'Brien: The Government's policy, and the policy to which the EU collectively committed itself at the European Council of Nice in December 2000, is that NATO remains the basis for the collective defence of its members. Peter

Iran

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his visit to Iran; and what discussions he has had with Iran in its role in seeking to resolve the dispute between the Palestinians and the Government of Israel.

Mike O'Brien: During his visit to Iran on 9 October, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed a number of regional issues, including the Middle East Peace Process, with both President Khatami and Foreign Minister Kharrazi. He urged the Iranians actively to support a two state solution and to cease any support to those opposing the Peace Process. We therefore welcome the statement by the Iranian MFA spokesman on 15 October that Iran would not reject a two state solution provided it was acceptable to the Palestinians and Israelis.

Iran

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received on the purpose and objective of their policy of sanctions against Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It is for the US to explain their policy on Iran. Our own policy is one of critical engagement with Iran.

Pitcairn Island

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when (a) a Minister and (b) an official within his Department last visited Pitcairn Island.

Mike O'Brien: No Minister has visited Pitcairn recently. An FCO official accompanied the Governor on a visit to the island in 1995. todd

Pitcairn Island

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a Governor of Pitcairn Island last visited the territory.

Mike O'Brien: The Governor of Pitcairn is due to visit Pitcairn in November. The previous Governor visited the island in September 2000. The previous Deputy Governor spent six weeks on the island in November/December 2001.

Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when UK Visas will reply to the letter of 27th June from the honourable Member for Manchester Central, regarding Mr. AM reference NBI/1003564/7/8.

Mike O'Brien: I will reply to my hon. Friend shortly.

Nepal

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the gifting of non-lethal military equipment to the government of Nepal using funds from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool.

Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to a Ministry of Defence Departmental Minute dated 22 July, which is available in the Library of the House of Commons and which gives full details of non-lethal military equipment to be gifted to the Government of Nepal, including those made from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool Fund.